CBSE board exams to commence from May 4.
CBSE Clas 10, 12 exams 2021: Amid the Covid-19 surge, there is a huge outcry from students to postpone the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) classes 10, 12 exams. Over one lakh petitions have been signed at change.org in demand of either cancellation or postponing the exams. Several politicians, actors also joined the chorus supporting the students' demand.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the decision to conduct the CBSE exams from May 4 should be reconsidered. "In the light of the devastating Corona second wave, conducting CBSE exams must be reconsidered. All stakeholders must be consulted before making sweeping decisions,” he tweeted.
The students also demanded to conduct the board exam online. Hashtags #PahleJaanFirExam, #cancelboardexam2021 have been trending. "Conducting Board exams during the pandemic won't make all of us the Sundar Pichai's of the future. So why bother?," tweeted a student.
CBSE Board Exams 2021: Here's how politicians, actors reacted
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in a letter to the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank expressed her concern over the safety of students. In her letter, she wrote, "Students prepare for these exams for months on end as they determine the future course of their lives. Yet lakhs of children and parents from all over India have been expressing their fears and apprehensions about assembling at exam centres to sit for the exams in the middle of the second wave of Covid-19."
"Aside from this, by forcing the children to sit for these exams during a raging pandemic, the government and the CBSE board will be held responsible in the event the exam centres prove to be hotspots at which large numbers of children become infected with the disease," she wrote.
Sonu Sood: Actor Sonu Sood extended support to the students, saying, “I request everyone to support students who are forced to appear for offline board exams in these tough times. With the number of cases rising to 145k a day I feel there should be an internal assessment method to promote them rather than risking so many lives."
Manish Sisodia: Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia asked schools to postpone the ongoing classes 10, 12 practical exams till April 20, as per the Hindustan Times report. Sisodia said, "We have advised schools to consult with their external examiners and postpone the remaining CBSE class 10 and 12 practical exams for a while. Only one or two practical exams are left in a majority of schools and we have advised them to reschedule these to after April 20."
PMK founder S. Ramadoss: PMK founder S. Ramadoss expressed his shock as CBSE board exams will be conducted amid the current Covid-19 surge. In a statement issued on April 10, Ramadoss suggested the board to conduct classes 10, 12 exams online.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray: Congratulating the Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad for postponing the state board exams, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tweeted, "Look forward to a similar decision for the entire country from national boards."
Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant: Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant in a letter to the union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal raised concern over students, teachers health over the rise in Covid-19 cases. "The exams due in a few days will have millions of students and their families, their teachers/ invigilators, the non-teaching staff at high risk considering the virulence of the current pandemic," the MP wrote in his letter.
Meanwhile, the CBSE will conduct board exams as scheduled from May 4. The classes 10, 12 exams will be concluded on June 7, the result will be announced by July 15.
