No board exams for Classes 5, 8 this year: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

There will be no board examinations for Classes 5 and 8 this year, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Monday, amidst strong reservations by the CBSE and CISCE against the state government's proposal.

The government, however, said it's decision came after parents associations and some private schools met him and urged the Board of School Education Haryana (BSEH) to defer the exam citing that studies had been affected due to COVID-19.

Due to this, the board has decided not to conduct these examinations through BSEH for one year. Now, these examinations will be conducted at the school level itself, Khattar said in an official statement.

Several private schools, mostly affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations (CICSE), had opposed the BSEH holding exams for Class 8 students in general.

Earlier, Haryana's State Council of Educational Research and Training, an academic authority, had said that students of government and recognised private schools in Haryana need to pass the Class 8 annual examination for admission to Class 9 and the council had authorised BSEH to conduct the exam.