2021 board exams will be held only in ‘offline’ mode: CBSE

This is the first major update by the CBSE on the 2021 board examinations for classes X and XII students.

THE CENTRAL Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced on Wednesday that the 2021 board examinations will be held only in the offline written mode – and not online – “as and when” they are conducted. This is the first major update by the CBSE on the 2021 board examinations for classes X and XII students. However, it is yet to announce if there will be any modification in timeline for the conduct of these exams, which usually begin between mid-February and early-March.

“No final decision has been taken regarding the dates for conduct of board exams, and consultations with stakeholders are still in process. The exams, as and when they are to be conducted, will be in written mode and not in online mode. The exams will be conducted following all Covid protocols,” the board said in a statement.

The board also said that it will have to explore alternatives to practical exams if students are unable to do practicals in their schools before the exams.

The Indian Express has reported that school educators are worried that although teaching-learning is being conducted online — with varying levels of success in different schools — the inability of students to attend school is having an adverse impact on the practical component of the students’ curriculum.

While some states have allowed for schools to re-open for students of classes IX to XII in November, most states, including Delhi, have opted to keep them closed.

Schools across the country were closed mid-March when the country went into a nationwide lockdown as a precaution against the Covid-19 pandemic. This lockdown also interrupted the 2020 board examinations mid-way. The board had decided to grade students on the basis of this truncated examination season through a modified marking scheme and in September, it conducted physical compartment examinations and re-examinations for class XII students who wanted to increase their scores.

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