CBSE and ICSE share student data with govt

FOR CLASS 10, 12 EXAMS

Two days after the Maharashtra government requested the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) to postpone Class 10 and 12 exams or mark students on their internal assessments, the state held a virtual meeting with board officials on Saturday morning to further discuss the issue.

Officials from both boards submitted data on students from the state who will appear for their board exams this year. As per the data, nearly 12,000 students in the state are enrolled for their Class 12 CBSE examinations which are set to take place between July 1 and 15.

There are no pending Class 10 CBSE papers in the state. Nearly 23,000 students from the state have registered for the ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) exams which were scheduled to be held between July 1 and 14, as per the revised schedule.

The state government will now look at the data and come up with a possible solution to the issue. “It will take some time to arrive at a decision because the situation in each part of the state will have to be considered separately. Based on the data, the education department will see what is best for students,” said an official privy to the meeting. Other officials who were a part of the meeting refused to comment on the issue.

On June 4, the state government had written to the heads of both boards requesting them not to conduct exams in July. It had said that in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis in the state, students would find it difficult to travel to their centres and conducting examinations would mean risking the health of several students. The letter thus stated that the government would not permit the boards to conduct the exams as there is too much risk involved.

CBSE and ICSE officials said that complete cancellation of exams might not be possible.

“We have already allowed students to participate in compartmental exams which will be conducted after the main exams, in case of unforeseen circumstances. Students who cannot reach centres for some reason or reside in areas that are containment zones can apply through their schools and avail a concession,” said an official from the ICSE board.