Union Minister of Education Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal during his live interaction on Twitter with teachers on Tuesday, 22 December, announced that the CBSE board exams 2021 will not be conducted in the months of January and February given the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We will not be able to hold CBSE Board examinations till February 2021," Pokhriyal said, adding that a decision regarding the CBSE board exams will be taken in the coming weeks.
Amid massive uncertainty over the conduct of board exams for Classes 10 and 12, the minister reiterated that online exams are not the most suitable option and that board exams will be conducted in offline mode only.
This effectively means that the board is in favour of offline, pen and paper written exams, which will be conducted following all COVID-19 health guidelines.
According to sources, CBSE board online exams are not possible as not everyone has equal access to technology and the internet.
According to CBSE, practicals will be held for students of Class 12 who have been able to attend practical classes. However, since several students have complained that their schools have not been able to hold a single practical class physically, the board has announced that it is exploring alternate modes for marking practicals.
The CBSE has clarified that reports claiming that CBSE Class 12 practicals will be held in January and February are misleading and false. These reports, the board said, were based on tentative dates that had been declared much earlier and have no relevance now.
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