The Central Board or Secondary Education has sparked widespread dissent among the student community by announcing that the upcoming Board exams are likely to be conducted in February/March 2021. One of the top officials of CBSE has told media personnel that the Board is talking to multiple stakeholders and making all efforts to conduct the CBSE 2021 Board exams as per usual schedule.
Controller of Exams Sanyam Bhardwaj was quoted saying “There are no plans to delay the exams and it will be held in February-March as usual” by major media channels including national dailies. The official clarified in interviews with leading media banners the Board is making all efforts to ensure that students do not face any time-related difficulties by restructuring the date sheet of the upcoming exam.
Students who have been speculating the exam dates immediately burst out in dissent on popular social media networks following the announcement. Hashtags on Twitter such as #postponeboards2021 and #postponeboardexams2021 are currently trending as students are complaining that they are not prepared for the exams yet. Users are also using hashtags like #EducationMinisterGoesLive to bring the situation into notice of higher officials.
Although CBSE reduced the syllabus of the 2021 Boards by around 30%, apparently, the online education system has not been appropriate in covering the syllabus in time. Students are complaining that online classes have failed in helping them prepare for the exam and the entire network is flooded with Tweets to postpone the exam at least until April-May 2021.
When asked about the exact dates of the CBSE 2021 Boards in February-March 2021, the Bhardwaj was quoted saying “It is too early to divulge any details regarding the board exams“. However, he clarified that the Board has gathered tremendous experience while conducting the compartment exams during the pandemic situation earlier this year which they intend to utilize in conducting the CBSE 2021 boards in without any delay in February-March 2021 in the offline mode.
Controller of Exams Bhardwaj however indicated that the Board is taking steps to reduce the difficulties that students may face as a result of this decision. For example, compared to previous years, in CBSE Boards 2021, there are possibilities of leaving longer gaps between two consecutive exams, he clarified. Furthermore, he also added that that even if two exams were scheduled back to back, it has been done by ensuring that the subsequent exam is for an easy subject.
Whether CBSE will succumb to pressure building up from the student community and delay the CBSE 2021 boards is not clear now. However, it is certain that COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant academic loss, the aftermaths of which, are likely to be reflected in the results of the upcoming exam.
