CBSE Likely to Hold Class 12th Exams Only for Major Subjects, Suggests Two Options

New Delhi:

Only major subjects should be studied in the Class 12 Board examination, according to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

For Class 12 students, the Board offers 174 subjects, about 20 of which are deemed major by the CBSE. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, History, Political Science, Business Studies, Accountancy, Geography, Economics, and English are only a few of them.

A CBSE student must take a minimum of five subjects and a maximum of six. Four of these are typically major subjects. 

According to sources, the CBSE has presented the Education Ministry with two options for conducting the Board examinations for the major subjects.

These issues will be addressed at a meeting of state education ministers and secretaries on Sunday, which will be chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Ministers of education Ramesh Pohkriyal, information and broadcasting Prakash Javadekar, and women and child development Smriti Irani are all scheduled to attend. 

The national board has recommended that major subject exams be conducted in the "existing format" and at specified examination centres under the first choice. Minor subject grades can also be determined based on results in major subjects.

This option will take one month for pre-exam practises, two months for conducting exam and results announcement, and 45 days for compartment exams.

According to the Indian Express, the first alternative can only be implemented if the Board has a three-month window.

Under the second format, which will take only 45 days, the CBSE has proposed that Class 12 students take the major subject exams in their own schools (read self-centres) rather than at designated centres.

The number of centres would have to be doubled to make this possible. The Board has also suggested that each review be one-and-a-half hours long rather than three hours long in the second format.

The results in the elective subjects would determine the marks for the fifth and sixth subjects.

If the Board chooses the second choice, the exams will be divided into two sections. This phasing has been proposed to account for regional variations in the Covid situation. Exams will be conducted in the first phase in locations where the situation is favourable, and in the second phase in the remaining locations. The two stages will be separated by two weeks.

Any student who is unable to take an examination due to Covid will be given another opportunity. 

Due to the second wave of the pandemic, the Education Ministry declared on April 14 that the Class 10 Board examination will be cancelled and the exam for Class 12 students will be postponed.

The Board unveiled a new marking scheme for Class 10 students in its associated schools on May 1.

The Ministry had stated that it would review the situation on June 1 in order to determine new dates and make an announcement at least two weeks prior to the start of the exams.

A meeting with state governments has been scheduled for Sunday to determine which of the two CBSE options should be enforced.

Both State Education Boards, as well as CBSE and ICSE, have decided to postpone their Class XII exams.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) and other national exam-conducting agencies have also deferred their entrance exams for technical course admissions.

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