HRD ministry asks states to start evaluation process for board exams; Sisodia suggests promoting Classes 10, 12 students based on internals

The HRD ministry on Saturday asked  all the state governments to start the process of evaluation of board exam papers and facilitate the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for the same. Meanwhile, Delhi deputy minister Manish Sisodia urged the central ministry to cancel the pending exams for Classes 10 and 12 and promote students on the basis of internals. “The evaluation process must begin and states must facilitate CBSE to evaluate answer sheets of the students in their respective states,” Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said, according to PTI, at a meeting held through video-conferencing with state education ministers. [caption id=“attachment_8026041” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image Ramesh Pokhriyal. ANI[/caption] Pokhriyal, however, didn’t announce any exam dates for the pending papers for Class 10 and 12 board exams. According to reports, the Pokhriyal had on Monday said that pending board exams for classes 10 and 12 will be held once the lockdown is lifted. According to reports, while exams in 12 subjects for Class 12 are yet to be held, Class 10 and 12 students affected by the riots in North East Delhi have even more pending papers. A final decision on the issue is expected by the end of the week, Times Now said.

Not feasible to hold pending exams, says Sisodia

During the HRD Ministry-led meeting with state education ministers, Delhi deputy chief Minister Manish Sisodia, however, recommended that students in Classes 10 and 12 should be promoted on the basis of performance in internal exams as it’s not feasible now to conduct board exams which are pending due to the lockdown. **Click here for Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates** “Not feasible now to conduct pending board exams for classes 10 and 12. Students should be promoted on the basis of performance in internal exams like it was done for classes 9 and 11,” Sisodia said. He also recommended a 30 percent reduction in curriculum for the next session and while stating that “exams like JEE, NEET be conducted on the basis of reduced syllabus”. Universities and schools across the country have been closed since 16 March when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Later, a nationwide lockdown was announced on 24 March, which has now been extended till 3 May. While Punjab and Karnataka have already announced summer vacations due to the COVID-19 outbreak, other states are working on academic calendar and deliberating on various measures, including advancing the summer break, to minimise academic losses.