Explained | Here's what state governments have decided on CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021

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The fate of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class XII Board Exam 2021 still hangs in the balance, with different state governments taking different decisions.

The education ministry has sought the views of state governments by May 25, post which a final decision will be taken. It is likely that the dates will be announced by June 1.

States like Tamil Nadu are in favour of conducting the examination as usual since COVID-19 cases are under control.

Tamil Nadu's school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said that since Class XII examinations are crucial in deciding the higher education path for students, it won't be feasible to just pass all of them.

Here’s a lowdown on what some states are planning to do:

Tamil Nadu

While a final decision has not yet been announced, the state is in favour of holding examinations.

It is likely to go for an online examination, and students can write the paper at home and upload the answer sheet to the website or send it by post.

The DMK government is not in favour of online-proctored examination since there could be students who don't have the requisite technological infrastructure, including webcams, laptops/computers, or uninterrupted internet connection to write the exam.

Uttar Pradesh

While most state governments have cancelled Class X Board exams, Uttar Pradesh has not yet taken a decision on Class X and XII exams.

UP Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad Secretary Divya Kant Shukla said there is no decision to pass students without taking the exam. A decision is likely later this week.

Being the largest state, UP has 5.6 million students writing the Class X and XII examinations every year.

Chhattisgarh

While Class X board exams are cancelled, the government has decided that students will appear for the Class XII examinations scheduled to begin from June 1.

As per guidelines, it will be an open-book exam format where a student has to collect the question paper from their examination centre and submit the answer sheet in five days.

This means that the 2,90,000 students appearing for Class XII examinations can write their papers sitting at home.

Telangana

The state government is likely to conduct the Class XII examination between July and September. A final notification, with the examination dates, is expected in one week.

However, the state is yet to give a clarity on the vaccination of students and the exam centre staff before the exams are conducted.

Kerala

The state had conducted the Class XII board examinations between April 8 and 26. However, the practical examinations that were to be held from April 28 have been postponed to June.

For Class X, the practical examinations (IT) have been cancelled. The state government has said that the teachers evaluating the papers will be vaccinated.

It is likely that the final results of Class X and XII will be out by the second week of July 2021.

West Bengal

The state has not cancelled the Board examinations nor given any alternate dates. West Bengal's education minister Bratya Basu said that the examination will be conducted, once the pandemic is contained.

The plan was to hold the examinations in June 2021. Originally slated to be held in February and March, the exam dates were postponed in the wake of the assembly elections.

Maharashtra

While Class X examinations have been cancelled for government board schools, a final decision for Class XII is expected in a week.

Maharashtra education minister Varsha Gaikwad told reporters on April 24 that a decision will be announced in one week and added that a 'non-examination' route needs to be explored. This means that the final results will be prepared on the basis of the students’ performance in internal assessment and past exams.

Assam

The state government has said that the Board exams for Class X and XII will be held 15 days after normalcy is restored in the region, post COVID-19.

It has also clarified that there is no option but to hold the examination and that passing students based on internal assessment is not feasible.

Nagaland

Exams were held as per schedule, despite the second wave of COVID-19. The state government followed a set of standard operating protocols to conduct the examinations in April 2021.

Social distancing and mandatory masks were enforced across all exam centres. It is likely that results will be declared by the last week of June 2021.

Gujarat

The state government is in favour of conducting the examination. A decision is likely later this week on the final schedule.

Gujarat education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said the exams “have to be conducted”. He added that COVID-led safety precautions will be followed across all exam centres.