Board examinations for classes 10 and 12 are postponed till February next year in view of the COVID-19 situation, announced Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on Tuesday.

Usually, the practical exams are conducted in January and theory exams begin every year in February and conclude in March.

After evaluation of the situation and consultation with stakeholders, the exam dates will be decided, said the Minister.

Nishank said in an online interaction with teachers, “Keeping the current situation in mind, it has been decided that the board exams for classes 10 and 12 will not be conducted till February next year. CBSE is making necessary preparations for conducting the 2021 examinations. A decision on the exam schedule will be taken later after assessment of situation and more consultations with stakeholders”.

During the interaction he said, “The CBSE is yet to take a decision on the dates for conducting board examinations, including practical. In case students are not able to do practical in classes before the examinations, alternatives to practical examinations will be explored”.

JEE-Mains will be held four times a year starting from 2021 to provide chance of improvement in their scores, announced the Ministry of Education.

February 23 to 26, the first edition of the Joint Entrance Examination-Mains (JEE-Mains) will be held, followed by rounds in March, April and May.