The decision to postpone the CBSE Class 12 Board exams and cancel the exams for Class 10 amid the the rapid rise in daily coronavirus cases was welcomed by Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, on Wednesday, 14 April.
"Well done Modi ji, listening to the sound advice from Shri Rahul Gandhi, Smt Priyanka Gandhi and the Congress party will go a long way in mending our nation. It is our democratic duty to work together for the betterment of our people. It's good to see BJP finally put nation over ego," the Congress party tweeted soon after the announcement.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, while welcoming the decision to cancel the Class 10 Board exams, said a final decision should be taken for Class 12 too. "Keeping students under undue pressure until June makes no sense. It's unfair. I urge the government to decide now," she tweeted with the hashtag 'cancelboardexam2021'.
‘Great Relief for Students, Parents’
For Class 10, the results will be prepared on the basis of objective criterion developed by CBSE, the Centre said. Meanwhile, for conducting Class 12 CBSE Board exams, the authorities will review the situation after 1 June, with a notice of at least 15 days to be given to the students before the start of the examinations.
Aam Aadmi Party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted saying after the decision on Wednesday, "I am glad that the exams have been cancelled/postponed. This is a great relief for lakhs of students and their parents."
His party colleague and Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia told news agency ANI, "I am happy that Class 10 exams are being cancelled and dates are being rescheduled for class 12 exams. Like Class 10 students, I appeal to the government to promote Class 12 students on the basis of internal assessment."
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal told ANI that the students of Class 10 will be promoted on the basis of internal assessment. "If a student is not satisfied with the assessment, then he/she can appear for the examination once the (COVID-19) situation is normal," he was quoted as saying.
The decision regarding the exams was taken amid widespread demands to cancel or reschedule them, including by Delhi CM Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, over the massive surge of COVID-19 cases in India over the last few weeks,
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