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Tamil Nadu postpones Class 10 public exams amid coronavirus fears

Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami stated, however, that examinations for classes 11 and 12 will continue as per schedule.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami announced on Saturday that class 10 public exams will be postponed in the state.

He made the announcement in the Assembly after MLA Thamimun Ansari raised questions about the exams. The exams were scheduled to be held from March 27, 2020 to April 13, 2020. The Chief Minister has announced that the exams will take place after April 14. A new timetable will be issued later, he said. He added that public exams for classes 11 and 12 will take place as per the original schedule.

Tamil Nadu had earlier ordered the closure of all educational institutions (except medical colleges) till March 31, as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus in the state. Since then there has been speculation about the conduct of public exams. Class 11 board exams are scheduled to end on March 26, 2020 while the public exams for class 12 students are scheduled to end on March 24, 2020.

On March 18, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and other boards to reschedule the ongoing exams. CBSE board exams for classes 10 and 12 have been postponed and are to be held after March 31, 2020. Along with these, the MHRD had also announced that the exams conducted by the National Institute of Open Learning (NIOS), Joint Entrance Examination- Main (JEE-Mains) and all other university examinations will also be postponed in light of coronavirus pandemic.

Following the request from MHRD, the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), on March 19, announced that it was postponing the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ICSE) and ISC 2020 examinations. The new dates for these examinations would be announced later, it said.

Source: The News Minute