Uttar Pradesh Class 10 board exams scrapped, abridged version proposed for Class 12 in July

Representative Image

The UP Secondary Education Council on Saturday cancelled board examinations for class 10 students and proposed to take a 90-minute test of each subject for class 12 students in the second week of July, if feasible.

The detailed examinations scheduled for class 12 board examinations will be announced soon, UP's Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said.

The Council’s decision to cancel class 10 examinations would benefit over 29.94 lakh students, allowing their promotion to the next class, he said in an official statement.

Owing to "the importance of class 12 examinations" for students’ future, they have been proposed to be held from the second week of July, if circumstances allow, the minister added.

The UPSEC’s decision is in line with the Central Board of Secondary Education, which too has cancelled the class 10 examination all over the country and abroad and at present, is mulling over the desirability and feasibility of taking class 12 examinations.

"Owing to the extraordinary circumstances triggered by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the larger interest of students besides the general interest of the public, the UP government has decided to cancel the class 10 board examinations conducted by the UP Secondary Education Council,” Sharma, who also holds the secondary education portfolio, said.

“This will benefit as many as 29,94,312 students (of class 10th)," he added.

About the class 12 examinations, he further said, “Keeping in mind the future of students and the importance of class 12 marks for them, the board examinations have been proposed for the second week of July if circumstances are conducive. The examinations will be taken “with adherence to all COVID-19 norms and social distancing", he added.

He added that the detailed timetable for the class 12 examinations will be shared soon.

"As in the past, this year also, the examinations will be held in 15 working days," Sharma said.

Elaborating about the nature of the examination, he added, “The duration of the examination will be of one-and-half hours and the students will have the freedom to answer any three questions out of the 10 given ones.”

“To maintain social distance among students, the number of examination centres too have been increased," the minister said, adding a total of 26,10,316 students have registered themselves for the class 12 board examination in Uttar Pradesh.