Covid-19 surge: Maharashtra govt postpones Class 10, 12 board exams

The Maharashtra government on Monday postponed the state board exams of Classes 10 and 12, which were scheduled to be held later this month, in view of a steep rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.

The board exams of Class 12 were to begin from April 23 and of Class 10 from April 30.

"Given the current COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra, we've postponed state board exams for class 10th & 12th. The present circumstances are not conducive for holding exams. Your health is our priority," state School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad tweeted.

"Keeping in mind the schedule of entrance exams for professional courses, class 12th exams will be held by end of May, while 10th standard exams will be in June," she said in a series of tweets.

The health situation was being closely monitored and fresh dates for the postponed exams would be announced soon, Gaikwad said.

The decision is the outcome of consultations with various stakeholders, like students, teachers, parents, elected representatives from across parties, academicians and tech giants, the minister said.

"We'll also be writing to the CBSE, ICSE, IB, Cambridge boards, requesting them to reconsider their exams dates," she said.

Thanking Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for approving the decision, Gaikwad said during the consultations, various alternative assessment options were evaluated keeping the health, well-being and future of students in mind.

"Postponing exams seemed to be the most pragmatic solution," she added.

On Sunday, Maharashtra recorded 63,294 new cases of coronavirus, its highest single-day rise since the pandemic broke out, which pushed the caseload to 34,07,245, as per official figures.