CBSE Board exams will not be held in February 2021

Pokhriyal said on Tuesday, "I received a lot of requests from various students and teachers to postpone CBSE Board exams for Class X and XII."

"Keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in mind and after various consultations, we have decided that Board exams will not be held in February," he said, adding that the government is in the favor of students.

The government observed that many CBSE schools are located in rural areas where conducting online examinations would not be possible, Pokhriyal said.

Earlier, CBSE officials had also ruled out the possibility of conducting online examinations. They had said that alternatives would be explored if students are not able to sit for practical examinations before the written tests.

Earlier this year, Board examinations had to be postponed mid-way in March. The exams were eventually canceled as the pandemic progressed and the students were graded on the basis of an alternative assessment scheme.

Competitive examinations such as the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) were also postponed twice this year due to the pandemic.

Last week, Pokhriyal had announced changes in the pattern of JEE Main.

He had said the exam would be held four times to give a fair chance to candidates who might miss an exam for various reasons, including the severity of COVID-19 infections in their regions.

On the subject of Class X and XII Board examinations, Pokhriyal had said talks with stakeholders were underway.