The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exams for Class X and Class XII will be held between May 4 and June 10, 2021, said Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in a virtual address.
Results will be declared by July 15. The practical examinations for Class X and Class XII board students will begin on March 1, 2021. CBSE said that the date-sheet will be issued soon.
"The board examinations for Class X and XII will commence from Tuesday, May 4, 2021," said the education minister.
CBSE 2021 board exam official notification
Due to the lockdown and schools moving online, CBSE has cut the 2021 board exam syllabus for Class X and XII by 33 percent.
Every year, close to 1.5 million students write the CBSE Class XII board examinations and 1.8 million students appear for the CBSE Class X board examinations.
CBSE and the education ministry under Nishank had sought feedback from students, schools and teachers on conducting the board examinations in 2021 amidst the Coronavirus outbreak.
In 2020, CBSE was among the education boards that had cancelled examinations for the remaining Class XII papers in the wake of the pandemic. The exams were postponed in March once the lockdown was announced to contain the virus.
The education minister said that the government has taken a slew of steps to ensure academic continuity during COVID-19. He said that unlike a few other countries where students may lose one full year owing to the pandemic, India has rapidly adopted the online learning system.
"The government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured that students even in the farthest corners of the country do not lose out in education as physical classes in schools are closed," he added.
Nishank mentioned that the Swayam Prabha platform and DIKSHA platform have benefited students, especially those who will be appearing for board exams in 2021.
Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the government had announced that the the Swayam Prabha platform would have 12 more channels for offering educational content across India.
The Swayam Prabha is a group of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting of educational programmes on 24/7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite.
The DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) platform offers teachers, students and parents engaging learning material relevant to the prescribed school curriculum. Students can download the DIKSHA application and scan the textbook QR codes for easy access to the lessons.
