The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Saturday issued a notice for all the affiliated schools urging them to begin the academic session from April 1, and not earlier. CBSE has asked school heads to 'strictly follow' the academic session from April 1 to March 31 and advised them to refrain from beginning the session before April 1. In the notification, the Board stated that several schools start the academic session early to adjust coursework. "It has been noticed that some of the affiliated schools have started their academic session quite early in the year. Attempting to complete an entire year’s worth of coursework in a reduced timeframe poses risks for students who may get overwhelmed and struggle to keep up with the pace of learning, leading to anxiety and burnout," the official notification stated. CBSE further said that it doesn’t give students enough time for extracurricular activities such as life skills, value education, health and physical education, work education and community service. The Board asserted that the aforementioned are equally important as academics. "The Principals and Heads of Institutions of the schools affiliated with the Board are, therefore, advised to refrain from beginning academic sessions before year and strictly follow Academic Session from 1st April to 31st March," the notice added. CBSE is currently conducting board exams for classes 10 and 12. The exams began on February 15 for both classes, and will conclude on March 21 for Class 10 and April 5 for Class 12.
