Uttar Pradesh Board exams deferred

LUCKNOW In the wake of unprecedented rise in Covid cases, the state government on Thursday decided to postpone the UP Board examinations 2021.

The class 10 and class 12 exams of the UP Board were scheduled to start from May 8.

These examinations will now take place after May 20. The new dates will be announced in first week of May, said chief minister Yogi Adityanath after a Covid review meeting with officials via video conferencing.

The decision comes a day after the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) cancelled exams for class 10 and deferred exams for class 12 due to the pandemic.

Earlier on Wednesday, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma, who is also secondary education minister, had said the UP Board will review the upcoming high school and intermediate exam keeping in mind the welfare of students following a surge in Covid cases.

More than 56 lakh students are registered to appear in UP Board exams, which were earlier postponed because of ongoing panchayat elections in the state. The exams were originally scheduled to begin from April 24.

Hailing the decision taken by PM Narendra Modi and union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” on the

CBSE examinations, Sharma said, “The safety of students is paramount and will not be compromised with.”

This year, 29,94,312 examinees, including 16,74,022 boys and 13,20,290 girls, are registered for the high school examination.

Similarly, 26,09,501 examinees, including 14,73,771 boys and 11,35,730 girls, are registered for the intermediate exam.

Last year, the UP Board exams began on February 18 and concluded in the first week of March before the lockdown. This year, the exam was delayed by nearly two months as schools remained closed for months in wake of the Covid pandemic. Classes from 9 to 12 began in October 2020.