Stating loss of classroom teaching time this academic year, the Delhi government on Wednesday, 14 October, wrote to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), requesting that the academic year be extended and the class 10 and class 12 examination not be conducted before May 2021.
The letter further states that the request is being made to provide students “reasonable time to study in schools.”
“A major chunk of time of Academic Session 2020-2021 (approximately 7 months) could not be utilised for classroom teaching-learning process as schools in Delhi are closed till October 31, 2020. Though the Directorate of Education has conducted online/semi-online teaching-learning activities through live classes as well as worksheets/activity sheets, the online teaching-learning process cannot replace the physical classroom teaching-learning process,” it states.
The Delhi government recently announced that schools in the capital will remain closed till 31 October in view of rising cases of COVID-19 in the city.
“It is pertinent to give students hands-on practice for a sufficient period of time. lt is requested that the Board may provide detailed guidelines regarding the conduct of these practical exams under such conditions or any other alternate mode to replace the practical part of the subject,” the letter states.
The Directorate of Education, Delhi Government, also recently requested CBSE to waive the Class 10 and Class 12 board exam fees. This request comes on the heels of several parents expressing their inability to pay the board exam fees due to the loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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