10,000 UAE Students Forced To Resit CBSE Exams

UAE schools currently taking CBSE exams look set to be hit by the leak of Maths and Economics papers onto WhatsApp.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday confirmed it would re-conduct examination of Maths and Economics papers for Class X and Class XII respectively following leakage of question papers.

"With a view to uphold the sanctity of Board Examinations and in the interest of fairness to the students, the Board has decided to re-conduct [Maths and Economics] examinations," said the CBSE in a statement.

While dates for the new examinations have yet to be posted, schools and students in the UAE and elsewhere have already taken to social media to express frustration, both at the unfairness of the resit, and possible delays to school holidays.  Nearly 8,500 UAE students will have to take their Class 10 math exam again, while over 2,700 students will have to sit for their Class 12 economics exam.

Students, teachers and parents will need to wait to find out how much schedules will be affected. The board has stated new dates will be hosted on the CBSE website within a week.

According to Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, an unnamed gang was responsible for the leak, and that Delhi Police are investigating.

"I have full confidence that police will apprehend the criminals, Javadkar told reporters adding they were "devising a new system from Monday which will be leak-proof".

Worldwide 2.7 million students appear for CBSE Grade 10 and Grade 12 exams. 1.6 million students sit Grade 10 examinations while 1.1 million for Grade 12 exams. In the GCC, 22,542 students are appearing for CBSE grade 10 and 14,694 for grade 12 examinations.