NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday announced to defer papers of class X and XII board examinations scheduled between March 19 and March 31 on the instructions of Union HRD Ministry which has directed postponement of examinations for a few weeks. The new dates will be announced after March 31 after re-assessment of the situation.
"All ongoing examinations of the board for classes X and XII being held in examination centres in India and abroad and scheduled between 19.03.2020 to 31.3.2020 (both dates inclusive) shall be rescheduled after 31st March," the CBSE circular said.
It also asked schools to ensure that information is disseminated to all students from their respective schools.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) under the ministry which conducts JEE Main - the entrance examination for enegineering colleges across the country and first test for Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) - also announced postponement of the examination. JEE Main - the second this year - was scheduled between April 5 to 11.
The major announcement by the agencies comes days after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a comprehensive social distancing guideline in a bid to contain the spread of corona virus in the country.
The measures advised had included possibility of postponing the onging examinations wherever possible and ensuring a minimum distance of one meter each amongst students if the exams cannot be cancelled.
In a statement issued late on Wednedsay evening, the CBSE said that re-examinations that were rescheduled for riot hit north east Delhi will also be further reschduled. "All ongoing board exam related evaulation work in various evualation centres in the country is also suspended upto March 31. All Centre Nodal Supervisors may ensure reschudling of evualtion work from 1.4.20 unless otherwise informed by the Board," the statement also said.