CBSE exams delayed due to elections

Mumbai: The Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the dates for the class 10 and 12 board exams, which will be starting from March 9 — a week later than it was held in previous years.

The board had requested the chief election commissioner of India (CEC) to take note of board exams while announcing dates but as the elections are expected to be over by March 8, the board has scheduled the exams from March 9.     

The assembly polls in five states, namely Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, will be held between February 4 and March 8.

Due to the sensitive nature of the elections in these states the board had written to the CEC requesting the schedule to be set keeping the students in mind. In the past, the exams used to commence on March 1 and were completed by the second week of April.  

Elaborating on the delayed exams that will start from March 9 and will last up to April 29, CBSE chairman R.K. Chaturvedi said that the exams were scheduled keeping in mind the convenience of the students. Students have been given holidays prior to tough papers and the schedule has been made such that those aspiring to appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical courses and Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) exams for engineering courses have sufficient time to prepare for the same.