India cancels key grade XII exams due to Covid situation

The Class XII examinations of the Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been cancelled, it was announced yesterday following a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) also announced yesterday that it has cancelled the ISC class XII examinations due to the Covid-19 situation.“In view of the uncertain conditions due to Covid and the feedback obtained from various stakeholders, it was decided that the class XII board exams would not be held this year. It was also decided that CBSE will take steps to compile the results of class XII students as per a well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement issued through the Press Information Bureau.Modi said the decision on the class 12 CBSE exams has been taken in the interest of students. He said Covid-19 has affected the academic calendar and the issue of board exams has been causing immense anxiety among students, parents and teachers, “which must be put to an end”. It was also decided that like last year, in case some students desire to take the exams, such an option would be provided to them by the CBSE as and when the situation becomes conducive.At the review meeting, officials gave a detailed presentation on the wide and extensive consultation held so far and views received from all stakeholders, including state governments.Modi said the Covid-19 situation is dynamic across the country. “While the numbers are coming down in the country and some states are managing the situation through effective micro-containment, some states have still opted for a lockdown. Students, parents and teachers are naturally worried about the health of the students in such a situation. The PM said students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation,” the statement noted.The prime minister stressed that the health and safety of students is of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect. He said that in “today’s time, such exams cannot be the reason to put our youth at risk”.Modi also stressed that all stakeholders need to show sensitivity towards the students. He directed officials to ensure that the results are prepared in accordance with well-defined criteria, in a fair and time-bound manner.In a related notification, the CBSE said: “The board examinations for class XII, which were postponed vide Notification No. CBSE/CE/Exam.2021 dated April 14, 2021, are hereby cancelled.“Class XII assessment will be made as per well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner. It is decided that for any student who is not satisfied with the assessment, an option to appear in the examinations would be provided by CBSE as and when the situation becomes conducive.”Meanwhile, the CISCE said in a statement: “In view of the present situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, the CISCE has decided to cancel the ISC (class XII) Year 2021 examination. The safety, health and well-being of our students, teaching faculty and all stakeholders is our topmost priority and of paramount interest.”India plans to triple Covid shots availabilityIndia could have as many as 10mn doses of Covid-19 vaccines available per day in July and August, compared with just under 3mn now, the government said, trying to allay concerns about shortages and mishandling of the programme.The world’s second most populous country has suffered a disastrous outbreak of infections since April that is only now abating and health experts say the only way it can avert another surge is mass vaccination of its 1.3bn people.“We don’t doubt that we will be able to increase the pace of vaccinations, once supply is ramped up,” government advisor V K Paul told reporters yesterday.Vaccine manufacturers such as Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech are scrambling to boost supplies, with the country is also in talks with major foreign vaccine producers such as Pfizer, officials have said.The health ministry said nearly 45mn people had been fully vaccinated — 4.7% of the country’s 950mn adult population.