CBSE Class 10, 12 board exam 2021: Over one lakh have signed a petition on change.org demanding that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exam 2021 be cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The petitioner has urged the Education Ministry to cancel “all examinations” this year as students are “already under a lot of stress” and above that they will have to take pressure of exams. The petition itself was first posted nine months ago, in 2020, but has been updated for the CBSE board exam this year. By 3:30 pm on April 8, 2021, it had 75,839 signatures which increased by over 24,000 to 1 lakh, at the time of publication.
“I urge the education ministry to look into this matter and cancel all examinations to be held this year as students are already under a lot of stress and pressure due to these unfortunate times and above that they'll have to take the pressure of examinations which could lead them into taking bad decisions if they don't perform well,” the petitioner has said.
“The situation in India is getting worse day by day!! When there were only a few cases in the country they cancelled the remaining board exams And now when the cases are at a peak they're planning to open schools!! Some Great planning our government is doing for the future of the country,” he added.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said it is irresponsible on the part of the CBSE to force students to appear for board exams amid COVID-19 and demanded that the exams be either cancelled or rescheduled.
It is downright irresponsible of boards like the CBSE to force students to sit for exams under the prevailing circumstances. Board exams should either be cancelled, rescheduled or arranged in a manner that does not require the physical presence of children at crowded exam centres
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 9, 2021
Meanwhile, CBSE students and students of other board exams have started the #Cancelboardexams2021 campaign on Twitter.
#cancel board exam 2021@PMOIndia @DrRPNishank @EduMinOfIndia @bhupeshbaghel 🙏👇 pic.twitter.com/lYQiPIq2Bf
— Akash Singh Rathore (@AkashSi88800563) April 8, 2021
Some students have asked for a postponement while others have said exams should be held online.
@ArvindKejriwal @msisodia @PMOIndia @narendramodi @DrRPNishank please understand the issue , we have geniune reasons to cancel the board exams 2021 , lets us speak , don't exploit student's democratic right sir , #cancelboardexams2021
— Sun Shine (@SunShin64187308) April 8, 2021
Despite protests from students, there is no announcement of postponing the 2021 board exams from CBSE and other state, central education boards.
"Adequate arrangements are being made to ensure the students are safe and all COVID protocols are followed. The number of exam centres has been increased by 40-50 per cent to ensure social distancing. The staff at exam centres is being sensitised to ensure all guidelines are followed," a senior CBSE official said.
Some states have cancelled exams for junior classes and promoted students on the basis of assignments and other methods of evaluation.
(With inputs from PTI)
