Covid-19 second wave: ICSE cancels Class 10 board exams, asks schools to begin Class 11 admissions

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CICSE) has announced that the Class 10 board exam has been cancelled due to the “worsening situation of the Covid-19 pandemic”. In a circular to the heads of ICSE and ISC schools, Chief Executive and Secretary of ICSE Gerry Arathoon informed the board’s decision to cancel the Class 10 board exams.

“Given the present worsening situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, the CICSE has decided to cancel the ICSE (Class X) 2021 Examination. The safety and wellbeing of our students and teaching faculty is our topmost priority and of paramount interest,” Arathoon said in the circular.

However, there is no final date announced yet for the Class 12 board exams. According to an earlier order, the exams remain postponed and revised dates will be announced after considering the Covid-19 situation. Reports suggest that the CICSE may decide on June 1.

Meanwhile, Arathoon has advised ICSE schools to begin the admission process for Class 11. “Schools should prepare a schedule to begin online classes for Class 11 students at the earliest. The syllabus to be followed is the ISC 2023 syllabus,” the circular said.

India has recorded over two lakh new Covid-19 cases for six consecutive days as it recorded over 2.59 lakh new cases on Tuesday. The country also reported 1,761 Covid-related deaths in the last 24 hours, India’s biggest one-day spike.

Due to the current Covid-19 situation, CBSE cancelled board exams for Class 10 students and postpone the same for Class 12 students. The Centre also postponed JEE (Mains) and NEET exams due to the Covid-19 surge in India.