New Delhi, May 22: The Ministry of Education (MOE) has called a crucial meeting on Sunday to decide on pending Class 12 board exams and subsequent entrance examinations that were postponed due to the second wave of COVID-19, Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said.
The high-level meeting will be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani as well as Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar will be among those present. Education ministers and secretaries of all states and union territories have been asked to attend the meeting. Pokhriyal also sought inputs from all the stakeholders – students, parents, teachers and others – through social media on Saturday.
“A high-level virtual meeting will be convened tomorrow (Sunday) with all states and union territories’ education ministers, education secretaries and chairpersons of state examination boards and stakeholders to discuss the proposals for the conduct of exams for Class 12 and entrance examinations for professional courses,” he said. “I recently held a meeting with the state education secretaries in this regard. The consultative process will be further strengthened through the high-level meeting. This virtual meeting will take place at 11.30 am,” he added.
In a letter to the states and UTs, Pokhriyal said his ministry’s Department of School Education and the CBSE were exploring options regarding the conduct of the examinations, keeping in mind the safety and security of both students and teachers. “The Department of Higher Education is also deliberating upon the finalisation of the dates of examinations for institutions of higher learning. COVID-19 pandemic has affected various areas including the education sector, particularly the board exams and entrance exams,” the letter noted. (PTI)
