CBSE, ICSE board exams and JEE Mains to be rescheduled after March 31 in light of Coronavirus

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exams, university exams and entrances have been rescheduled after March 31 due to coronavirus.
• ICSE too postponed class 10, 12 examinations due to coronavirus threat, PTI reported.
  
• JEE Mains have also been rescheduled from its original dates — between April 5 and April 11, 2020.
  
• The evaluation work has also been put on hold during this time.

The spread of the novel Coronavirus is turning to be detrimental for the school students — especially those appearing for board exams this year.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has directed all the educational institutions — including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exams, university exams and entrances — to be rescheduled after March 31.

“While maintenance of academic calendar and exam schedule is important, equally important is the safety and security of the students who are appearing in various examinations, as also that of their teachers and parents,” the official announcement said. The HRD ministry is also seeking cooperation from educational institutions, requesting them to communicate with students and teachers via electronic means.

CBSE, ICSE declares rescheduling of Class X and Class XII exams

Given that, CBSE has announced the examinations scheduled between March 19 to 31 shall be postponed for both Class X and Class XII. ICSE too postponed class 10, 12 examinations due to coronavirus threat, PTI reported.

“All ongoing examinations of the board for Classes-X and XII, being held in examination centres in India and abroad, and scheduled between 19.03.2020 to 31.3.20 (both dates inclusive), shall be rescheduled after 31st March, 2020,” CBSE said.

Class X students were supposed to sit down for ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and Computer Applications exams on March 20 while Class XII students had several exams including languages and business studies scheduled during the period.

JEE Mains also postponed so it doesn’t clash with board exams

On the other hand, competitive examinations like JEE Mains have also been rescheduled. Earlier, the exam was scheduled between April 5 and April 11, 2020.

“Certain competitive examinations like JEE Mains require examinees to travel to other centers and in some cases even to other cities, to appear in the said examination. Also, the dates may clash with rescheduled CBSE and other board exams. Therefore, JEE Mains should be rescheduled and a new date will be announced on March 31, after re-assessment of the situation,” the ministry added.

Earlier, the board also called off the Class X and Class XII exams in the violence-hit Northeast Delhi — that were supposed to take place in the last week of February. Even these re-examinations will get rescheduled.

“During the aforementioned period, re-examinations that were rescheduled to be held for North-East Delhi candidates will also be further rescheduled. Rescheduled dates will be communicated by the board to all its stakeholders by 31.03.2020 after re-assessment of the situation,” Anurag Tripathi, CBSE Secretary said.

The evaluation work has also been put on hold during this time. On similar lines, the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad also halted the marksheet evaluation process of class 10th and 12th board exams in the wake of coronavirus — after several teachers refused to show up at the evaluation centres.

In fact, as many as 1.5 crore students studying in the government-run schools in Uttar Pradesh will not have to appear for final examinations to get promoted to the next class amid the coronavirus outbreak.

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