The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has said the Class 10th and 12th board examinations will be held in pen and paper mode and not online. It also said that it will explore options for students who will not be able to appear for practicals.
"The exams as and when they are being conducted, will be in the written mode and not in online mode. The exams will be conducted following all COVID protocols," CBSE said in a statement.
"In case students are not able to do practicals in classes before the exams, alternatives to practical exams will have to be explored," it added.
However, CBSE is yet to take a decision on when the board exams will be held.
The board said, "Consultations with the stakeholders are still in process". The union education ministry will go live on social media platforms and consult regarding this with teachers, students, and parents on December 10.
"Dear all, 2020 has been a year of a great many changes like adjusting to #onlineeducation, adapting to #newnormal. Happy to share that I am going live on Dec 10 to talk about upcoming competitive/board exams with you. Drop your concerns below using #EducationMinisterGoesLive," Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank tweeted.
Schools across the country were closed in March to contain the spread of COVID-19 and partially reopened in some states from October 15. However, a few states decided to keep them closed in view of a spike in infections.
The board exams that were scheduled to be conducted in March had to be postponed mid-way. The exams were later cancelled, and the results were announced on the basis of an alternative assessment scheme. Competitive exams like JEE and NEET were also postponed twice this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There have been demands for the postponement of board exams to May in view of the continued closure of schools and teaching-learning activities being completely online.
The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)-Main for admission to engineering colleges across the country is likely to be held in February instead of January 2021, according to officials.Also read: Coronavirus vaccine update: Serum Institute's Covishield in open market likely by March-April 2021