Govt to consult students on schedule for exams

NEW DELHI: The Union education ministry plans to consult students and their parents on the holding of examinations as a fresh cycle of key tests is set to begin with the onset of the New Year, a senior government official said.

With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing, the education ministry thinks that the examination calendar for 2021 will need to be tweaked; students and their parents are the most important stakeholders in the process.

Among the key exams that have to be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) are the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) for admission to engineering schools, Class 10 and 12 exams and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for students aspiring to study medicine or dental science..

In 2020, most of these exams were rescheduled, but were ultimately held with strict safety protocols in place.

“The ministry is planning to hold a consultation exercise for the next round of exams. It is likely that the process could begin in a day or two and then depending on the opinion of various stakeholders, Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank could apprise students of the decisions taken,” said the official cited above.

The decision could be taken as early as a week, the official added, requesting anonymity.

Among the important examination scheduled early next year are JEE (Main), which could be shifted to February or even March, from the conventional January. The CBSE board exams may be delayed by a few weeks from February-March schedule.

IN 2020, MOST OF EXAMS WERE RESCHEDULED, BUT WERE HELD WITH STRICT SAFETY PROTOCOLS IN PLACE