New Delhi: Thousands of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Exams (CISCE) students are rallying together to call for the postponement of Class 10 and 12 board exams, which are scheduled to begin next month, in light of the ongoing surge in Covid-19 cases.
Disabled students enrolled with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) also have a similar demand.
In the past 24 hours, there have been more than 550 petitions on Change.org — the online petition portal that allows internet users to mobilise around different causes — demanding that all offline exams be cancelled or postponed until after the pandemic. The petitions have together garnered an estimated 1.5 lakh signatures.
Students have also been using the hashtag “cancelboardexams2021” to raise their demand on Twitter. The hashtag #Cancelboardexams trended on Twitter Wednesday with nearly 7 lakh tweets.
If you can conduct Exams on the basis of online classes why not dare to conduct online exams.
.
Students life matters.
.#cancelboards2021#cancelcbseboards2021 #cancelboardexams2021#cancelboardexams pic.twitter.com/Gvf4qVRcf9
— BADBOY (@YASH6790) April 7, 2021
Mexico – 1300 cases
Exams cancelled
Saudi Arabia – 541 cases
Exam cancelled
India – 93000 cases
Exam to be held as scheduled.#cancelboardexams2021 #cancelboards2021 #StudentsLivesMatter #cancelboardexams #cancelexams #cancelboardS pic.twitter.com/AjaLu3fLk1
— Mahesh Aghao ? (@MaheshAghao) April 7, 2021
The CBSE and the CISCE exams are both scheduled to start from 4 May. Neither board appears likely to cancel exams just yet.
Last week, when a notice from April 2020 regarding changes in exam schedule and format came into circulation, the CBSE clarified that it had not issued any new notification in this matter.
Speaking to ThePrint, a CBSE official said the board will ensure the safety of students appearing for exams. “The number of exam centres has been increased by 40-50 per cent to ensure students are safe. We are also creating awareness among students and parents to follow all Covid safety guidelines,” the official added.
Gerry Arathoon, the Chief Executive and Secretary at CISCE, which oversees the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), said the schedule for exams “will remain the same”.
The second Covid wave in India has seen the case tally climb new heights. According to the data released by the government Wednesday, 1,15,736 people had tested positive for Covid-19 across the country in the preceding 24 hours. This is the highest daily total India has recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.
Covid vaccination is under way in the country, but target beneficiaries currently only include health and frontline workers, and those aged 45 and above.
Also Read: With tweets, memes & online plea, DU students start social media campaign to reopen colleges
‘Raining petitions’
Last year, the board exams were under way when the pandemic began to take root. After the lockdown kicked in last March, the remaining exams were first deferred and then eventually cancelled.
One of the Change.org petitions demanding cancellation of CBSE board exams reads: “The situation in India is getting worse day by day!! When there were only a few cases in the country they cancelled the remaining board exams and now when the cases are at a peak they’re planning to open schools!!”
It adds: “I urge the education minister to look into this matter and cancel all examinations to be held this year as students are already under a lot of stress.”
Another one, aimed specifically at disabled learners, seeks to urge the NIOS to promote them without exams. “Under the shadow of the pandemic, we need the NIOS to promote disabled learners instead of insisting that they physically take the exams.”
Some others say the exams should either be taken online or students should be promoted on the basis of assignments and projects.
Change.org Country Director Nida Hasan said it is “currently raining exam-related petitions on Change.org”.
“We’ve seen over 550 petitions on the theme of exams started in the last 24 hours alone, taking the total to around 900 in the past month. Students are thronging our platform to urge the government to either cancel all exams, postpone them until after the pandemic or to conduct online exams only,” she added.
“The prospect of taking CBSE and ICSE board exams offline in examination centres against the backdrop of the second wave of the pandemic is terrifying for many students and their parents,” she said.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
Also Read: Don’t force my wheelchair-using son and other disabled students to take NIOS board exam
Please cancel offline exams????
Dear Government,
Our futures and careers are at stake .
We should definitely have an exam but
The risk of getting infected is so devastating dear government.
Whole year sitting for online class and understanding nothing you suddenly expect us to rocket launch the exam then your so wrong !!
You either wait and postpone the exam or have it done online . Or mark us based on our internals ! Pls it’s a request of a class 12 student
Now we even have to apply for colleges and we don’t know what’s going to happen it’s such a tumultuous situation so depressing
Pls govt help us listen to us we plead
We can’t face this virus anymore I already was infected 2 times I scared about how low my immunity is pls hear put this message! ??
Why??don’t u cancelled exams and start a new Journey form next academic year..why? Won’t you understand how hard it’s to learn everything with in less time..in online cls we were not able to understand as sometimes we have net issues or current problems…And also there are many students who got COVID-19 just think would there parents should agree sending to write exams? When the schools and colleges were open we were able to understand few but suddenly we got notice of closing … Then how could u expect us to write exams? When we even dont know what to write? Plz promote 10th 11th 12th…if we are failed you all r responsible for tht Just think the students who r failed n cant overcome can sucide alos..
Why??don’t u cancelled exams and start a new Journey form next academic year..why? Won’t you understand how hard it’s to learn everything within less time..I online cls we were not able to understand as sometimes we have net issues or current problems…And also there are many students who got COVID-19 would think there parents should agree sending to write exams? When the schools and colleges were open we were able to understand few but suddenly we got notice of closing … Then how could u expect us to write exams? When we even dont know what to write? Plz promote 10th 11th 12th…if we are failed you all r responsible for tht Just think the students who r failed n cant overcome can sucide alos..
Apne 9 or 11 ke exam ko cancel kr diya collage ke exam online kr diye but hum 10 or 12 th ke ho offline exam kyu kya humko corona nhi ho skta apko humhare exam online kr lena chahiye
Please clean the board exam ???????????????
#cancelboardexam2021
Exam should be postponed coz of this covid situation
Please cancel exams or make it online ?????
Exams should be cancelled✋?✋?
It is very risky to conduct offline board exams. Would request to kindly cancel as parents we will not support.
#cancel board exams2021
Please ? cancel 2021 board exam aur you can take exam in online mode
Chaman chitiye jo bolr he hai exam lo bacho ke bhagwaan yahi corona positive ho sabse pehle.
Please cancel the board exam because it is about the life of lakhs of students
Exams need to be cancelled or online cause postpone doesn’t make any sense we dk when the cases will reduce.
Whoever is saying “take exams offline”, do you have any idea how serious the situation is? Don’t be selfish. The situation is very bad, no one is safe. Exams need to be cancelled or be conducted offline.
The students have not opened their mouth at all before this month just because the exams are getting closer even though the cases were increasing faster before. All these petitions are by students who have just wasted their time and haven’t studied. I’ve seen students post about cancelling the exam and also post bout them going out. Exams should be held otherwise the future of lakhs of children will be gone
What do you think haven’t we studied at all !!!!!
You are not putting your life in danger!!!!
WE ARE!!
So pls try not to comment all this anymore!!!!
Foolish!!
Cancel board exams 2021
#Cancelboards exam2021
why dont you guys understand the problems of a student …….?? you know what ..how mich problems we are facing ……our parents have a lot of hopes with us that we will get 100% score …….bot what i should do ? What i should say to them that my syallabus is not done yet ?? I have not understood the concepts yet?? What i should answer ? If i e en try tto express my feelings will they understand my pain (nooo??? ..they will not ) .. They will just say that i am making excuses ….. Simply our college said us what u get you write and what you dont know leave it ..( seriously if i dont get the whole paper than what ) i dont even know i will pass or not …..truly saying i have the gut feeling that i will be abble to answer only 1 or 2 questions not more then that bcoz i faced a lott of problems during online classes (network problem , notes problem,health problem ) i am not stable right now ………………………………. .. …………….. #classesWereOnZoomThenWhyExamsInARoom. #against.gov. #cancelboardexams2021 plzzzzzzzzzzzz
Board Exams should be conducted
Please cancel board exams bcouz lakhs of covid-19 cases are reporting,please cancel the exams???
Class in zoom
Exams in room
Not fair
#cancelboardexams2022
#cancelcbseboardsexams2021
Is exams are more important than life?
Yes the exam should be postponed or to cancel the examination because in our school now also the lessons are not taken completely we were finished only 40% .So now we studied only 40% means how we will write the exam this is not possible
Please government in many countries exam are cancelled in 1400 cases but in India there are more than one lakh cases so why Indian government can’t cancel boards. Please don’t play with our lives if any student is positive he/she can spread to everyone
#cancelboards2021
#cancelboardexams2021
Plz cancel the exams….. The virus is spreading enormously and we all know that are immune is not that strong to bear it moreoverit would be the month of may and june so one can imagine the intense of heat of that just by hearing the term may.
We want online exams can u not understand there are 1lakh cases in india and u all r like ya we want the exams to be held offline it’s ok if we die but the exams are important what is this all ?
exams should be cancelled
Plzzz don’t stop exam!!!
Please keep exams, Even I wrote offline exams
I can say you 10th students played the whole
Student of
Class 9
Boards should not cancel or postpone exams. Those who do not wish to appear for fear they will die of covid should stay at home and ruin their own lives instead of trying to drown serious and hardworking students who wish to move on in life without looking for excuses.
Exam should be postponed plz what is this government what you want test more important than children and teachers’ lives? Plz postponed or cancel 10 and 12 board exam
#cancleboardsexam2021
Exam should be postponed plz what is this government what you want test more important than children and teachers’ lives? Plz postponed or cancel 10 and 12 board exam
#cancleboardsexam2021
The invigilators will be adults.Maybe comorbid adults.It makes sense to cancel the exams altogether since offline exams may prove impossible to administer large scale.
I don’t think it is a good idea to take offline exams now, COVID 19 is at peak. There has been a lot of reports of COVID cases rising from schools. The Corona cases are rising leaps and bounds. The worst part is the death rate is rising too. I really don’t think the boards should be prioritising exams over lives. In fact, I think we need another lockdown or else the health system of our country will crash. Online exams would be a good idea.
Dear goverment,
Before deciding between online or offline exam ,just remember we will be 18 and eligible to vote next year
Thank you:)
#CANCEL BOARD EXAMS .
OR CONDUCT EXAMS IF IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THEN STUDENTS LIFE.
DONT FORGET ELECTION IS HELD ON NEXT YEAR AND WE ARE ELIGIABLE FOR VOTE.
# cancel board exams 2021
In my opinion the exam should be cancelled not because of exam it’s because of virus people think it’s a normal virus but I have seen many own getting infected and it very serious for the family huge amount of money is required for treatment but these “topper” kids want exam what will happen to there parents if the kid got the virus see I know you all worked hard but life comes first then study if u live well u can study the same later also but if you doesn’t have any life ahead then what’s the meaning of this hard work and I should still say to cancel it cause of huge risk
Please government this year (2021) board exam to be prosponded for class 10 and let us alive.
Yes please exam to be cancelled❌ for class10 2021
Exam should be online and not offline. As it is a stressful situations on all.
Last year for board exams, students were given an choice to select alternative examination center due to lock down.
Guys, any idea, whether this facility is available for this year?
There should be proper exams. All these petitions are signed by students who have wasted their time and not studied. Proper exams should be held or it will demotivate other students who have worked hard all year through. Offline exams is a must.
Do you know there were 125000 cases yesterday alone and the graph is increasing at an alarming rate? If board exams are conducted then there will be 125000 cases per day in each city. Hospitals won’t have enough beds to accommodate the students. Dead bodies would be piled up on roads. What’s more horrific demotivation or seeing piles of dead bodies thrown on roads where army would be stuffing them into trucks and throwing them into sea as there would be no space in crematoriums?
Speak for yourself ,you had the resources but not everyone did
Education minister is behaving like an autocrat.he is just using his position to play with so many innocent students’ lives.for him it is do or die.we are living in the most uncivilized society where human welfare has taken a backseat.
he or his family members are not in this situation.do he can dictate,use force, show his power on the students.its because of this selfish attitude of such ministers, that today’s youth have turned violent.
Guys There is still 29 days Study without wasting your time
Otherwise our worst preboards will be our final marks
#cancelboards exam2021
Yes, please postpone the exams of class 10and 12 .
Why is a standardized test more important than children and young teachers’ lives? Looks like a slight lack of perspective and misplaced priorities by these two boards, no?
This is So true…Students lives matter. Why didn’t the government held the boards last year when there were only 2000 cases!? Now even though there are more than 1 lakh cases the government wants us to write the exams offline!? I think they don’t even think abt students.. They think we guys are immortal! All students request for either online boards or postponement of boards till the pandemic.
Thank you
Exams should be postponed according to the situation.. We r not stable at all nor mentally physically n emotionaly too..
#life is more important
In a Democratic country, this is the condition of education system where students are dictated with no oppurtunity of giving any opinion or favour anything or higher authorities are not paid attention to the condition of students who are suffering and we students are only the people to suffer this decision of cbse. they are not concerned about the health or the danger conditions they have put the students in. The current covid variant is especially danger to the young people. But we are giving some news to the government officials who are in favour of this decision we are the next generation to vote for this country we will in exchange show the goverment what our youth can do in this decision taken by the goverment officials.
Plz government what is this don’t you want children to be alive online exam or pass normally