CBSE, ICSE cancel class 10th and 12th pending board exams — JEE and NEET may also get deferred

• The Supreme Court today announced that the remaining board examinations for both classes 10th and 12th will not be conducted in July.
  
• The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) also said that it will follow CBSE’s decision on the final exams and result.
  
• This may also lead to further deferment of the entrance examinations including JEE Mains and NEET — which are scheduled in July.

The Supreme Court today announced that the remaining board examinations for both classes 10th and 12th will not be conducted in July. This was after the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) told the bench led by Justice J AM Khanwilkar to cancel the exams due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The board has already scrapped class 10th and 12th exams across nearly 250 schools abroad. Those students will be awarded marks based on the practical examinations or internal assessment.

Meanwhile, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) also said that it will follow CBSE’s decision on the final exams and result. The marks will be awarded on the basis of internal assessment, it said.

The decision was long pending after the parents requested the apex court to consider scrapping the remaining exams and promote students based on internal assessment and the marks obtained in the exams that have already been conducted.

Moreover, state governments including Maharashtra, Odisha and Delhi had requested the government to do away with the pending exams. The Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal held a review meeting with the National Testing Agency (NTA), School Education and Literacy department and CBSE to plan and discuss the examination schedule and reopening of schools on June 8.

The exams scheduled between March 19 to 31 were deferred for both classes due to the lockdown and violence in Northeast Delhi. It was decided that the CBSE exams will be held from July 1-15.

This may also lead to further deferment of the entrance examinations including JEE Mains and NEET. The government may postpone the two competitive exams after multiple requests from students, teachers and parents. As per the current schedule rolled out by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), the JEE Mains exam is scheduled between July 19 and July 23, while NEET entrance will be held on July 26, 2020.

On the other hand, CBSE board has already directed schools to promote all the students — from class 1 to 9 and 11 — without examinations.