A day after the CBSE and CICSE said the board exams will be held as per schedule, the Ministry of Human Resource Development ordered all educational institutions in the country to postpone exams till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

 HRD secretary Amit Khare said in an official statement, “While maintenance of academic calendar and exam schedule is important, equally important is safety and security of students who are appearing in various examinations as also of their teachers and parents.”

He further added, “All the ongoing examinations, including CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education)board exams, be postponed till March 31 and rescheduled thereafter.”

In a new notification, the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) said that the exams for class 10 and ISC 2020 exams for class 12 have been postponed in view of the coronavirus outbreak. The revised dates for conduct of the remaining papers will be notified in due course of time. “In view of Covid-19 spreading across the country, and with much uncertainty and speculation in the air, the Council, in the interest of the health and well-being of the students and the teaching community, has decided to postpone all ICSE and ISC 2020 exam scheduled to be conducted between the period March 19 to March 31, 2020,” the notification read.

Earlier, the CBSE also notified it will be conducting classes 10 and 12 exams. A directive was issued stating students are allowed to carry masks and sanitisers to the exam centres. But following orders by the MHRD, the exams have been postponed.

Source: PTI