At a high-level meeting held on Sunday, the Union Education Ministry asked all state governments to send detailed suggestions and feedback by 25 May on how to hold the Class XII board exams and the college entrance examinations.
Apart from Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also chaired the meeting.
Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and Minister of State for Education Sanjay Dhotre and state Education Ministers, Education Secretaries and Chairmen of State Examination Boards and stakeholders from all states and Union Territories from across the country were also in attendance.
After the meeting, Union Education Minister Nishank said, “I am confident we will be able to arrive at an informed, collaborative decision regarding the Class 12th board exams and remove the uncertainty among students and parents’ minds by informing them of our final decision at the earliest. I want to reiterate that both students’ and teachers’ safety, security, and future are supremely important to us.”
According to sources, the Education Minister will meet with officials from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) again on 1 June. The ministry has also rejected the idea of cancelling the Class XII board exams. However, the format of the examination can be changed. The announcement of dates for examinations and exam pattern can be expected by CBSE on 1 June.
Earlier on 14 April, the CBSE had notified that Class XII exams were postponed in view of the pandemic.
Talking to The Sunday Guardian, an official involved in the meeting said