Centre to decide soon on conducting plus two exams

New Delhi: The Central government will take a decision on Sunday over proposals for the conduct of exams for Class 12th and entrance examinations for professional courses.

The decision will be taken in a high-level virtual meeting with Education Ministers, Education Secretaries and Chairpersons of State Examination Boards and all stakeholders of the States and Union Territories (UT), Ministry of Education said on Saturday.

The meeting will be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in presence of Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar.

In view of the prevailing situation, almost all the state education boards, CBSE and ICSE have postponed their Class 12 examinations, 2021. Similarly, the National Testing Agency (NTA) and other National exam conducting institutions have also postponed the entrance exams for admissions to professional courses.

In a letter written by the Union Education Minister to states and UTs, he has stated that the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education and CBSE are exploring options regarding the conduct of 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.

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