CBSE Board exams 2021: Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Centre reconsidering its decision to hold offline exam, change dates

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DELHI: Amid spiralling coronavirus cases across the country, the Centre is reported to be mulling to reconsider its decision to conduct the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examination for Class 10 and 12 students in offline mode.

It may be noted that the CBSE Board exams are scheduled to be held from May 4 in the offline (traditional pen and paper) mode.

However, if the Education Ministry sources are to be believed, both the Education Ministry and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officials are discussing if the Class 10, 12 board exams could be postponed in view of an unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases.

While the government is open to reconsidering the exam dates, the Board officials are not sure that there will be any changes in exam schedule announced earlier.

Besides students and their parents, several top political leaders and celebrities actors have demanded the Centre to reconsider its decision to hold the exams next month.

One among them is Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who had earlier reiterated her call for cancelling CBSE Board exams. She had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank "to do the right thing" by calling off the tests in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The Congress general secretary had on Sunday written to the education minister seeking cancellation of the CBSE Board exams, saying it will be impossible to ensure the safety of students at crowded exam centres.

In a tweet on Monday, she said, "Come on @cbseindia29 @DrRPNishank @narendramodi do the right thing!" She also posted the hashtag 'cancelboardexam2021'.

Priyanka Gandhi also tagged a tweet on the announcement that the Maharashtra government has postponed the state board exams of Classes 10 and 12, which were scheduled to be held later this month, in view of a steep rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Come on @cbseindia29 @DrRPNishank @narendramodi do the right thing! https://t.co/5pkmLhJCzw — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 12, 2021

In her letter to the minister, she had said by forcing children to sit for these exams during a raging pandemic, the government and the CBSE will be held responsible if any exam centre becomes a hotspot with a large number of children becoming infected with the disease.

According to the revised date sheet for CBSE board exams 2021, the Class 10 exams would be held between May 4 and June 7 and those for Class 12 would be held between May 4 and June 15.

CBSE officials have said that exam centres across the country have been increased by 40-50 per cent to ensure social distancing among students.