CBSE Class 12 Exams Cancelled: Will Focus on Internships, College

The decision to cancel CBSE Class XII Board Exams saw mixed reactions amongst my friends.

Students react to cancellation of Class 12 CBSE Board exams.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

Video Producer: Maaz Hasan
Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan

On 1 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about the cancellation of CBSE Board Exams for Class 12, which had earlier been postponed indefinitely. This has given us the clarity and certainty of what is required going forward in our careers. Before this, there was just confusion and chaos and the delay was costing us a lot.

I felt that the decision was right and was the best move in times like these. With the pandemic at its peak and stressed mental health, conducting Board exams wasn’t feasible.

Though I am in favour of the decision, a lot of my friends were not happy with it. They expressed their concerns about the evaluation criteria.

“I am so scared. I read somewhere that they are going to consider Class-12 internal (exams) and (the results of) classes 11, 10, and 9 grades. Now, they need to realise the fact that I didn’t study in classes 9 and 11. Until pre-boards, my main focus was on entrance exams.”

Muskan Bali, Student, Class XII, CBSE

Now that these exams have been cancelled, many of my friends feel their efforts in the run-up to the board exams went in vain. The fear of not scoring well is legitimate and it concerns me, too.

Regardless, I feel students were not in the perfect mental state to prepare for exams. This could have turned into a super-spreader event. So, cancellation was the right way out.

Now, I'll be applying to various universities and devoting time to write essays. I would also look for internships and fellowships. This is a crucial period for me and I would really like to utilise this time productively. I will be giving myself enough time for grooming and exercise. I see it as a self-development period.

My friends, especially those from the PCM (Physics, Chemistry, and Maths) stream, were going through a mental conflict in their decision to invest time. They had a hard time managing studies for Board exams and JEE (Joint Entrance Exam).

“I was giving half of my attention to JEE and half to boards, and in the end, I was unable to pay complete attention to anything. I was very stressed and the day it (cancellation) was announced, I was very relieved.”

Kavya Singh, Student, Class XII, CBSE

I understand that these are very difficult times as India is witnessing a record number of deaths due to COVID-19. I think these extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. We should be ready for last-minute changes. What seems like the end, may just be a bend. Now that the decision is out, let's accept it and mould ourselves according to it.

Now, we are desperately waiting to know about the evaluation criteria that will be used. However, I'm sure the government will take a wise step like it did when deciding on the cancellation of the board exams.

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