CBSE, CISCE, NEET, NTA, JEE-Main and several other exams are in a fix as the central government hasn’t taken a decision on them yet and the schools are shut at least till the lockdown gets over
In an attempt to contain coronavirus cases in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3. While there is hope of easing the lockdown in selective places after April 20, schools across India will remain shut at least until the lockdown gets over. As the centre is yet to make a concrete decision on the future of these exams, uncertainty prevails among students sitting for class 10 or class 12 board exams.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and several state boards have already postponed examinations. CBSE postponed all the board examinations that were to be held between March 19 to March 31, 2020. CBSE Board has also cancelled class 10 and 12 board exams for students located outside India.
The board had already directed schools to promote all students studying in class 1 to 9 and class 11, in the academic session 2019-20 to the next grade. However, for Class 10 and Class 12 students, the CBSE is reportedly mulling to exclude few papers which are not the “main subjects”.
On the other hand, state boards have decided to release the results without conducting the pending exams and some have simply decided to promote students to the next grade. Odisha government has announced that schools in the state remain closed till June 17. With this, it is assumed that CBSE schools in the state will not resume exams before June 17. West Bengal has decided to shut schools and colleges till June 10.
The University of Delhi is also considering cancellation of the semester examination for first and second-year students. The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, (IIT-D) said it is planning to restart the current academic session from the first week of July, and concluding by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, both engineering and medical entrances–Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-Main) and The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) have also been postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts engineering and medical entrance examination stated earlier that the NEET and JEE Main will be held in the last week of May. It remains to be seen if the dates of these exams are pushed further.
CBSE, Fit India to start live fitness sessions for school students during lockdown
According to the HRD Ministry, from April 15 at 9:30 am, students can access the live sessions on the Facebook and Instagram handles of Fit India Movement and CBSE.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Fit India, the government’s flagship fitness movement, will start live fitness sessions for school students from Wednesday to keep them engaged as well as fit in the second phase of the countrywide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the HRD Ministry, from April 15 at 9:30 am, students can access the live sessions on the Facebook and Instagram handles of Fit India Movement and CBSE.
All the sessions will also be available on YouTube so that students can access them at their convenience as well.
The live sessions will cover all aspects of children’s fitness such as daily workouts, yoga, nutrition and their emotional well-being. Distinguished fitness experts like Aliya Imran, nutritionist Puja Makhija, emotional wellness expert Jitendra Nagpal, yoga professional Heena Bhimani and several others will be part of the sessions.
“CBSE has supported the Fit India Movement right from its initiation. 13,868 CBSE schools have been part of several Fit India programmes in the past and 11,682 CBSE schools have already got the Fit India flag. Now, with this unique endeavour I am confident that students across the country will not just be gainfully engaged during the lockdown but will also be motivated to take up fitness and healthy living as a way of life,” Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said.
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju said the online sessions are the need of the hour as children are at home with limited physical activity. “These sessions by fitness experts will ensure that children practice fitness even when at home. It is also imperative at these times to ensure that everyone, especially children remain healthy and have strong immunity.
“In these sessions, besides fitness-related topics, the guidelines of the Ministry of Ayush with regard to following simple steps to increase immunity will also be discussed. I am sure children and parents will benefit greatly from these rich sessions,” he said.
Schools across the country were closed by mid-March, ahead of the nationwide lockdown announcement due to the spread of coronavirus. The 21-day lockdown, which was scheduled to end today, has now been extended till May 3.