CBSE board exams will be conducted after February when the time is right, said Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal while interacting with teachers at a live session — #EducationMinisterGoesLive — on December 22.

Answering a teacher's query about whether the board exams will be postponed by three months, Pokhriyal said that the ministry has no such plans. "We have conducted examinations amid this pandemic as well. We have conducted JEE, NEET exams during the COVID-19 pandemic and we are the only country to conduct the exams in such a crisis. The board examinations would be conducted but not in January or February 2021. We will conduct the board exams after February whenever the situation is favourable," added the minister. "We cannot allow COVID-19 impact the students and label them as COVID-era students who cleared the classes without any examination," said the Education Minister.

The minister also denied any chances of conducting the exams online. "Many CBSE schools are in rural areas. Hence, online examinations are not possible," he added.

Answering a question from a teacher from Jharkhand about alternatives to online education, Pokhriyal said that education hasn't stopped even where internet connectivity is an issue, "Many teachers are imparting education via loudspeaker by travelling long distances on motorcycles. We are using initiatives like One class one channel, DIKSHA, Pathshala," he said and added that around 800 radio programmes are being aired via radio. The minister said that classes are also being conducted via television, radio and community radio to reach out to students in remote areas.