CBSE exams after Feb: UAE school heads urge students to keep calm

Though no exact date was released yet, principals assure that students will be given enough time to prepare.

School heads in the UAE on Tuesday welcomed the latest announcement about the upcoming CBSE board exams. India’s Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said the exams will not be held until February 2021.

Pokhriyal, during a live interaction with teachers, reportedly said a decision on when to start the exams will be taken by the government of India later. “The Classes 10 and 12 CBSE board exams 2021 will not be held in January and February. The exact exam schedule will be decided after February 2021,” he added.

Principals in the UAE said that given the unprecedented situation created by Covid-19, the decision is “in the larger interest of everybody”.

Annie Mathew, principal of Gulf Model School, said: “Given the new developments with regards to Covid-19, it would be wise to adopt a wait-and-watch policy and take decisions in the best interests of all, at the appropriate time. Contrary to expectations, the pandemic situation has not stabilised yet and, in fact, it seems to have taken a turn for the worse in many parts of the world.

She added: “In the current scenario, rather than rushing children to complete practicals and pushing schools to prepare them hurriedly for the practical exams, it is very prudent of CBSE to postpone the exams.”

Principals call for calm

The schedule for the CBSE board examinations 2021 has not been shared with the students until now, which has made both pupils and their parents anxious. Their main concerns so far have been regarding the question paper patterns and exam dates.

Zubair Ahmad, head of operations at Springdales School Dubai, said: “Postponement of exams is not what schools have wanted, but we have to look at the bigger picture and we need to take into consideration that the Covid-19 situation in India and elsewhere in the UK doesn’t look very good.”

He added: “India’s education minister has also said exams will be conducted offline, as not every child has a laptop and stable Internet and electricity, which is a challenge in some parts of India. So, while schools in the UAE are technologically more advanced, the scenario may not be the same with many CBSE schools elsewhere.”

Students will be given enough time to prepare

Urging students to stay calm, principals also explain that CBSE, which is a student-friendly board, bears in mind the interest of all its stakeholders.

Pramod Mahajan, director-principal of Sharjah Indian School, said: “It is certainly a good step that has been taken by CBSE. We have been in discussions with the exam controller and they have said all exams will happen face-to-face and students will be given sufficient time, not less than 30 working days before the exams begin. So, students must keep preparing and be assured that everything will happen smoothly.”

Students don’t have to worry, he added, as things are being done thoughtfully. “There will be sufficient gaps between the main subjects. The question paper will have enhanced objectivity and reduced subjectivity, plus 35-40 per cent of the paper will have lower difficulty levels as well.”

• Abu Dhabi
• Dubai