Amid the coronavirus outbreak and extended lockdown to curb its spread, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday, 28 April, suggested to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal that it is not possible now to conduct board exams of classes 10 and 12 that are pending.
The recommendation was made during a meeting of state education ministers chaired by the Human Resource Development (HRD) minister.
‘Not Feasible to Conduct Pending Board Exams’
"It is not feasible now to conduct pending board exams for class 10, 12. Students should be promoted on the basis of performance in internal exams like it was done for classes 9, 11," Sisodia said in a post on Twitter in Hindi.
Posting another suggestion, he said, "Curriculum for the next session should be reduced by 30 percent, and exams like JEE and NEET should be conducted on the basis of reduced syllabus.”
What Actually Happened in the Meeting?
Sources present in the meeting said that since Delhi has about five lakh students across private and government schools who had appeared for CBSE board exams this year, Sisodia had requested the HRD minister to promote students of class 10 and 12 on the basis of internal assessment only, just like students of 9th and 11th.
“The Union Minister did not respond immediately on that front. Later, he said we have not lost that much of time and that we will be able to find some way... he appeared certain that the lockdown will be lifted on 3rd May.”Source present in the meeting
According to the source, Sisodia then said that even if the lockdown is lifted or relaxed, social distancing norms would be in place. “How would exams be conducted in such a situation?” the source quoted Sisodia.
In the meeting, the source said, Sisodia felt that the country does not have a lot of time as delayed board results would also push back competitive exams and the higher education academic calendar.
Sisodia, the source said, had also mentioned the fact that a lot of students in violence-hit northeast Delhi have their CBSE board exams pending and could be affected if the board decides to conduct exams in this environment.
Start Evaluation Process: Pokhriyal to States
Moreover, the HRD minister on Tuesday asked the states to start the process of evaluation of board exam papers and facilitate the CBSE to evaluate the answer sheets of the students in their respective states, PTI reported.
After the meeting with the state ministers, the HRD Ministry also said that mid-day meals should be provided to students even during summer vacations in schools.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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