In a relief to students, parents and academicians who have been demanding the postponement of board examinations for students of Class X and XII, Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad on Monday announced the postponement of SSC and HSC exams due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.

In a series of tweets, Gaikwad said the entrance exams for professional courses and Class XII board exams will be held by May end, while Class X exams will be held in June.

The final exam time table and dates would be declared on the board website later, once the situation stabilises.

In her tweet, Gaikwad said, “The decision is the outcome of consultations with various stakeholders — students, teachers, parents, elected representatives from across parties and academicians. During the consultations, various alternative assessment options were evaluated keeping the health, well-being and future of our students in mind. Postponing exams seemed to be the most pragmatic solution.”

The state education minister also requested central boards to reconsider their exam dates. “We will also be writing to the CBSE, ICSE, IB and Cambridge boards, requesting them to reconsider their exam dates,” she tweeted.