UPDATE: CBSE, CISCE XII Exams Cancelled
The uncertainty surrounding India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) school exams has finally come to an end after an intervention by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indecision had reined with an expected judgment by the Supreme Court of India stalled due to an appeal by the Indian government.
The Court was due to deliver a judgement on 31st May on the Grade XII exams, announcing whether they would held at a later date or would be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic which is sweeping the country. The government had requested a further two days so a judgment was not expected to be announced until June 3rd at the earliest.
However, following a review meeting held on 1st June from 5:30 pm to discuss the fate of the CBSE and other state board exams amidst the pandemic, the Indian PM, Narendra Modi, took the decision that exams should be cancelled.
Officials gave a detailed presentation on the wide and extensive consultation held so far and views received from all stakeholders, including the state governments. However, Mr Modi said that 'Health and safety of our students is of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect'. During the key meeting of the Prime Minister with Union Ministers and other officials, it was also decided that CBSE would take steps to compile the results of Class 12 students.
Three international schools in Singapore follow the CBSE curriculum, with thousands of students sitting the CBSE examinations each year – GIIS SMART Campus, NPS International School and Yuvabharathi International School.
"Class XII results will be made as per well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner," the PM said. The CBSE has released an official notification stating that the postponed Class 12 exams now stands cancelled. “Any student who is not satisfied with the assessment has an option to appear in the exam as and when the situation becomes conducive”, reads the official statement by CBSE.
In response to the news, Melissa Maria, Principal at the GIIS SMART Campus told WhichSchoolAdvisor:
“The decision to cancel CBSE Boards was anticipated. It was important for the safety of the students.
“We are now awaiting objective criteria from the Board to tabulate Grade 12 results. Once we have those in hand, we will be informing students and their parents. The school, on its part, will do the best it can to ensure fairness in the final tabulation.”
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Tuesday also cancelled the ISC board exams for class 12 students soon after the Union Government announced cancellation of the CBSE class 12 board exams.
A decision to go ahead with the exams had been taken earlier in May but campaigns across social media with hashtags such as #CancelBoardExams and #ModijiSave12thStudents have had a significant impact. The CBSE has agreed not to conduct the Grade X exams this year due to the pandemic.
There had been discussion that the grades for the Grade XII board exams may be decided on the basis of a student’s previous results.
According to the Times Of India, an option being considered in the event of the board exams being scrapped is assessing students on the basis of their Grade 9, 10 and 11 results.
