No board examinations will be conducted in January or February
NEW DELHI: Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said on Tuesday that the board exams will not be held in January or February.
“No board examinations will be conducted in January or February. A decision on the conduct of examinations will be taken later,” Pokhriyal said during a virtual interaction with teachers.
He also said that it is not possible to conduct the board exams in online mode.
“The CBSE board exams will be conducted on a reduced syllabus. Thirty per cent of the total syllabus has been scrapped. While some states have declared as much, others are likely to make an announcement soon. There will also be 33 per cent internal choice in the exam,” the minister said in an online interaction with stakeholders.
The CBSE had earlier this month announced that board exams in 2021 will be conducted in written mode and not online.
Schools across the country were closed in March to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They were partially reopened in some states from October 15. However, a few states have decided to keep them closed in view of a spike in the number of infections.
Board exams had to be postponed mid-way in March. They were later cancelled, and results announced on the basis of an alternative assessment scheme.
Pokhriyal had on December 10 interacted with students and answered questions about various concerns regarding the conduct of upcoming board exams. He had said during the interaction that consultations with stakeholders are in progress for deciding the dates for board examinations for classes 10 and 12. There have been demands for postponement of board exams to May in view of the continued closure of schools and teachinglearning activities being conducted entirely online.