The Central Board of Secondary Education will conduct board exams for classes 10 and 12 physically from May 4 to June 10 next year, Union minister of education Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced on Thursday.
Practical examinations will be conducted by schools from March 1. The results of the board exams will be announced by July 15, he added.
Usually, practical exams are conducted in January and written exams begin in February and conclude in March. However, the exams are being delayed this session in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The board exams for classes 10 and 12 will be conducted from May 4 to June 10. Schools will be allowed to conduct practical exams from March 1. Date sheet for both the classes will be issued soon. The result will be declared by July 15," Pokhriyal announced.
"We are also working on a solution in this regard for CBSE schools in over 25 countries and will have an update soon," he said, adding that the dates have been fixed after considering the suggestions given by students, teachers and parents.
Several schools have already conducted pre-board exams online to keep the students prepared.
The CBSE had earlier this month announced that board exams in 2021 will be conducted in written mode and not online.
Schools across the country were closed in March to contain the spread of COVID-19. They were partially reopened in some states from October 15.
However, a few states have decided to keep them closed in view of a spike in the number of infections.
The board exams this year had to be postponed mid-way in March.
They were later cancelled and the results announced on the basis of an alternative assessment scheme.
"Students, teachers and schools are facing an unprecedented and uncertain situation due to the COVID-19 epidemic but teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure that students do not face any difficulty in their studies," Pokhriyal said.
The ministry of education had also announced that JEE-Mains for admission to engineering colleges will be held four times a year starting 2021 to offer flexibility to students and a chance to improve their scores.
The first edition of the Joint Entrance Examination-Mains will be held from February 23 to 26, followed by rounds in March, April and May.
The delay in board exams, however, may affect the conduct of all-India medical entrance exam -- National Eligibility cum Entrance Test -- which is usually conducted in May.
There is no official communication on it yet.
