Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Tuesday conducted a live session to announce the much-awaited Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) date sheet for Classes 10 and 12, which will be held from May 4 to June 11, 2021. Pokhriyal put up the detailed schedule on his Twitter account. For Class 10 students, the first exam will be on Odia, Kannada, Lepcha languages while it is English language and literature for Class 12.
However, to the students' surprise, the Minister did not announce the dates in the session but only encouraged them to prepare well for the examinations. "Please be assured that we have done our best to ensure that these exams go smoothly for you. Wish you good luck!" said Pokhriyal.
The official CBSE website crashed soon after the announcement, however, it was back up after some time. Despite students and parents citing concerns about the physical model of the exams amid the ongoing pandemic, the Education Ministry decided to conduct it offline with COVID-19 protocols in place across the country. Students will have to mandatorily wear a face mask, carry hand sanitisers and social distancing will be maintained at the examination halls.
It was decided by the Ministry to conduct the exams offline as the schools in rural areas do not have proper connectivity. Pokhriyal in one of his many live sessions over the past month had said that the CBSE will cut the syllabus by 30 per cent.