CBSE may clear Class 12 students without exam

Currently, about 19 states and union territories have finished conducting their Board exams for Class 12 students. These include Bihar, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

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According to government sources, given the current load of Covid-positive cases in the country, it may not be feasible to conduct the CBSE exams from July 1 to July 15.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) may allow Class 12 students to graduate early under a special marking scheme, but offer them the option to take the Board exams at a later date to improve their performance.

In other words, CBSE may not hold the Board exams in July and, instead, come up with an alternate method of evaluation. Students who are dissatisfied with their results can opt for the pen-and-paper exam to be conducted by the Board later in the year.

According to government sources, given the current load of COVID-positive cases in the country, it may not be feasible to conduct the CBSE exams from July 1 to July 15. However, any further delay may put CBSE students at a disadvantage as far as admission to higher education institutions is concerned.

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Currently, about 19 states and union territories have finished conducting their Board exams for Class 12 students. These include Bihar, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

“States which have wrapped up (their exams) will start their admission process (for colleges and universities) soon. CBSE students will be left behind if their exams are postponed beyond July 15,” said a government official. Many universities in Bihar are likely to start their admission process soon, the official said.

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CBSE is learnt to have discussed the plan with the HRD Ministry in two meetings this week. The Board is currently working on the alternate evaluation method by which it will declare results for Class 12 students, including for the papers which will not be held in July. A formal announcement is expected next week.

The Board was forced to decide on the feasibility of holding exams in July after parents approached the Supreme Court pleading for the Board to scrap the exams. CBSE has time till Tuesday to respond to the plea.

The pending exams for Class 12 include 12 core subjects — Business Studies, Geography, Hindi (Core), Hindi (Elective), Home Science, Sociology, Computer Science (Old), Computer Science (New), Information Practice (Old), Information Practice (New), Information Technology and Bio-Technology.

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The government, sources added, is unlikely to scrap the national entrance tests such as JEE (Main), JEE (Advanced) and NEET. “These can be postponed further but will not be scrapped,” the official quoted above said.

Ritika Chopra

Ritika Chopra, an award-winning journalist with over 17 years of experience, serves as the Chief of the National Bureau (Govt) and National Education Editor at The Indian Express in New Delhi. In her current role, she oversees the newspaper's coverage of government policies and education. Ritika closely tracks the Union Government, focusing on the politically sensitive Election Commission of India and the Education Ministry, and has authored investigative stories that have prompted government responses. Ritika joined The Indian Express in 2015. Previously, she was part of the political bureau at The Economic Times, India’s largest financial daily. Her journalism career began in Kolkata, her birthplace, with the Hindustan Times in 2006 as an intern, before moving to Delhi in 2007. Since then, she has been reporting from the capital on politics, education, social sectors, and the Election Commission of India. ... Read More

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