After Kejriwal, Punjab CM urges Centre to postpone CBSE board exams

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday urged Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to postpone board exams for classes X and XII in wake of a surge in COVID-19 infections.
The Chief Minister has written to Pokhriyal, pointing to the prevailing situation and stressing that "it would only be appropriate that a decision is taken forthwith to postpone the Class X and XII Board examinations." This, he said, would also allow the Centre and States to plan better for conduct of examinations once the situation normalises.
Citing the increasing national COVID-19 figures, Captain Amarinder said that quite understandably, "the steady increase in COVID-19 cases in most states of the country has created a sense of great apprehension and anguish among students and parents alike regarding the Board examinations for classes X and XII."
He added that the Punjab government is receiving requests from various quarters seeking postponement of the Board examinations by the State Board as well as by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE).
On Tuesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also urged the Centre to cancel board exams amidst the rising COVID-19 cases across the country. According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be holding a meeting with Ramesh Pokhriyal on Wednesday to discuss this issue.
The CBSE Board examinations for classes X and XII are currently scheduled to commence from May 4. The Punjab Board has broadly aligned its examination dates with those of CBSE.