Union Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” said on Wednesday that Class 10 and Class 12 students of the Central Board of Secondary Education, who have moved to their hometowns or other districts during the nationwide lockdown, can take their examinations from those places.

The CBSE will conduct the pending Class 10 and Class 12 board exams at 15,000 centres across the country from July 1 to July 15, to ensure physical distancing, amid efforts to contain the coronavirus crisis in the country. Earlier, exams were to be held at just 3,000 centres.

“The CBSE board is on your side, it is trying its best to solve your difficulties,” Pokhriyal said in a video on Twitter, addressing students. “I have been getting information that the first problem you face is that you will have to travel to your schools to take the exams. [But] the CBSE had announced earlier that you can take your exams at your own school, you need to travel to other centres.”

But Pokhriyal added that people have now travelled thousands of kilometres along with their children, to different areas of the country. “The CBSE board has decided that the student will have to tell his school that he be allowed to take the exam at the place where he is staying. Please tell your schools at the earliest that you want to take the exam at your place of residence.” He added that the CBSE was trying its best to ensure this.

Pokhriyal said that students should stay in touch with their schools in June. He said that the details of the centres where the exams will be conducted will be announced in the first week of June.

The board had announced last month that it will only conduct pending exams in 29 subjects which are crucial for promotion and admission to higher educational institutions.

Last week, the Ministry of Human Resource and Development had announced that all pending CBSE exams for Class 10 and Class 12 will be held at the schools where the students are enrolled, instead of an external examination centre. Usually, board examinations are held at designated test centres for students.

All schools and colleges have been shut since March 16, eight days before the Centre announced a countrywide lockdown. The lockdown has now been extended till May 31.


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