College admission worries of CBSE Grade 12 students addressed

Dubai - School heads ask students to stay clam and focused as adjustments would follow after postponement of exams

As parents and students clamoured for certainty around the postponed CBSE Grade 12 exams, school heads offered assurance that necessary adjustments should follow so that graduates could move on to university life. For now, ‘stay calm, stay focused’ was their advice.

When India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the cancellation of Grade 10 exams and the postponement for Grade 12 earlier this week, the decision was met with a mix of relief, confusion, and disappointment. While tenth-graders could now shelve their reviewers, those in Grade 12 had to deal with a big question: “What will happen to our college admissions?”

On university applications

Principals in Dubai believe that the CBSE authorities, as well as university officials around the world, will take action in the best interest of students.

Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-principal of Credence High School, said: “Students should not worry about this decision to cancel or postpone the CBSE exams. The government bodies concerned will take the appropriate action, which will be in the best interest of the students.

“(Also) we are confident that the universities will take this situation into consideration and facilitate admissions of the students accordingly. Every educationist has the interest and well-being of students in mind and the students should not worry at all. These are the challenging times and I am confident that they will come out stronger. The students must keep the confidence that their academic interests will never be harmed.”

On NEET, other entrance exams

This year’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) — required for those planning to take up undergraduate medical and dental courses in India — is to be held on August 1, with the application form expected to be released soon. However, due to an unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases in India, there are high chances that the exam could be postponed, too, the educators said.

Asma Gilani, principal and CEO of Our Own English High School, Sharjah, said: “Admissions for the medical and engineering courses in India will depend upon the NEET/SAT examination, etc. Surely, these organisations will come up with some solution to cater to students’ admissions in the current scenario.”

One of the major reasons is that foreign students, especially Indians, are an important asset to universities in countries abroad, as they hugely impact the education sector.

She added: “In addition, for medical/engineering courses or any other course in the UAE and abroad, there are a number of options for admission timelines, like autumn (admissions in September) and spring (January/February). Hopefully, students can take up the courses accordingly.”

Learning from 2020

The school heads stressed that soon enough, timelines and procedures shall be ironed out like how things turned out during a similar situation last year. In 2020, despite the Covid issues that affected the academe, most of the students from the UAE were able to enrol in the colleges and programmes of their choice. Many Grade 12 science students got admission into medical and engineering colleges in India.

“With the government announcing a delay in Grade 12 examinations, universities would need to consider re-scheduling their admission timelines accordingly, as the academic year begins in mid-July or later for colleges in India. As per the National Education Policy 2020, all central universities will be conducting a common entrance examination this year (Central Universities Common Entrance Examination), the dates of which will be announced in May. The experience of 2020 has shown that all entrance examinations were delayed but were held and college admissions took place,” said Ambika Gulati, principal of The Millennium School.

On UAE visa issues

In case of visa concerns related to relocation from the UAE to India, students had been allowed to change examination centres, Gulati added.

Tereasa Vaman, CEO and principal of GEMS Millennium School, Sharjah, said: “Schools have been advised to send the names and details of students wanting a change in examination centre to CBSE for further action. The process is being handled very efficiently and smoothly.”

CBSE schools in the UAE vowed to closely monitor the situation and keep students updated. They are also ready to support any pupil who may need counselling. The schools will also communicate with universities abroad to explain the delay in declaring results.

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai