Class 10, 12 students with special needs availing scribe facility can skip pending board exams: CBSE

Children with special needs availing facility of scribe can choose not to appear for pending class 10 and 12 board exams as it will be difficult to comply with social distancing norms and their result will be declared as per an alternative assessment scheme, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said. The exams which were postponed in view of the COVID-19 lockdown will now be conducted from July 1 to 15.

"In case children with special needs availing the facility of scribe do not wish to appear in the forthcoming examination because of noncompliance of social distancing norms, the students can inform their respective schools and their result will be declared as per the assessment scheme to be decided by the board," a senior board official said. The board grants several exemptions to children with special needs in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Ac, 2016.

"In addition to extra time, scribe or reader, computer or laptop (without internet), from this year we had also allowed use of basic calculators for candidates registered under CWSN category," the official added. The total number of candidates under Children With Special Needs (CWSN) categories including visually impaired, dyslexics, muscular dystrophy, spastics, locomotor impairment, dwarfism and others, are 6,844 for class 10 and 3,718 for class 12.

While the Class 12 exams will be conducted across the country, the Class 10 exams are only pending in North East Delhi. The exams could not be conducted in the national capital's district due to the law and order situation in the wake of protests against the amended citizenship law. Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16, when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of a slew of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

A 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, which came into effect the next day. The board had announced in April that it will only conduct the pending exams in 29 subjects, which are crucial for promotion and admission to higher educational institutions. The CBSE has also decided that no pending exams will be conducted in foreign countries. The board is yet to announce an assessment scheme for the exams that are not being conducted for foreign students and children with special needs.