Decision on Class 12 board exams to be taken at the earliest: Minister

A high-level meet could not arrive at a decision on the pending Class 12 board exams on Sunday, with Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank seeking detailed suggestions from state governments by May 25 and asserting that "an informed, collaborative" final call will be taken at the earliest.

New Delhi:Centre has requested the state governments to send their detailed suggestions on conducting CBSE exams for Class XII and entrance examinations for professional courses by May 25, said Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Sunday.

"I thank all the Chief Ministers, Education Ministers and officers associated with the world's largest education system for participating in the high-level meeting chaired by Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh ji.

As envisioned by the Prime Minister, the meeting was extremely fruitful as we received immensely valuable suggestions. I have requested the State Governments to send me their detailed suggestions by May 25," tweeted Pokhriyal.

He said the government is committed to the "safety, security and future" of students.

Ramesh Pokhriyal's tweet

"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," the union minister said.

A high-level meeting, chaired by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was held on Sunday to discuss the conduct of CBSE exams for Class XII and entrance examinations for professional courses.

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The education ministers and education secretaries of States and Union Territories, chairpersons of state examination boards and stakeholders were present in the meeting.

Union Ministers Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Prakash Javadekar, Smriti Irani and Sanjay Dhotre also attended the meeting.

"The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education and CBSE are exploring options regarding conducting the examinations, keeping in mind the safety and security of the students and the teachers. The Department of Higher Education is also deliberating upon the finalization of the dates of examinations for institutions of higher learning," Pokhriyal stated in his letter to the states and UTs on Saturday.

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The letter further noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected various areas including the education sector, particularly the board exams and entrance exams.

Taking to Twitter, Pokhriyal has also sought inputs from all the stakeholders - students, parents, teachers, and others through the microblogging site. "Friends, I need "YOUR" valuable suggestions too. You can send them on my Twitter handle," he added.

(Agencies)