The Centre on June 1, 2021, decided to cancel the CBSE Class 12 board exams. The decision was taken through a high-level meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi.

The prime minister has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to take steps to compile the results of Class 12 students as per well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner.

This was a big relief to many students and parents who were facing anxiety and losing mental peace during this pandemic situation.

Student reactions

Speaking to India Today Education, Rishav Yadav of Kendriya Vidyalaya Number 2 School said that the decision made him happy, and it was such a relief.

”It’s a great decision for all of us. Now, most of the students are mentally free from the dilemma of board exams. In, my view, the result should be given on the basis of our internal assignments and projects.”, he further added.

Mayank Aggarwal from Roop Nagar Number 1 school was not happy with the government’s decision, as he thinks, “It is true that the decision has been taken keeping in mind the safety of students, but instead of cancellation, students should have been vaccinated and proper sanitisation precautions should have been taken.”

Many students are also confused about how they will get admission to colleges now. What would be the criteria of college cut-off? Well, we can only wait for such a decision from CBSE.

Here’s what experts want to say:

”Given the current situation, it is the right decision to cancel the CBSE Board exams. There is no way we could have held exams without compromising the safety of children. While we welcome the decision, we hope the modalities would be worked out quickly in consultation with stakeholders. Since 12th marks are an important factor that affects students’ careers, we expect CBSE to ensure students don’t get affected by the methodology of awarding marks”, said Praveen Raju, Co-Chair, FICCI ARISE; Founder, Suchitra Academy.

“The decision was taken in the best interest of the children. However, the next step is equally critical and crucial in terms of deciding the process and criteria based on which the children’s performance will be gauged. This should be done keeping in mind that many of them make that extra effort during the last mile and hence, should be given due advantage”, said Charu Wahi, Principal, Nirmal Bhartia School.

The CBSE had earlier proposed conducting the exams between July 15 to August 26 and the result to be declared in September.