Class 10, 12 board exams: AP minister says ‘cancellation would be last resort’

The minister further said that the future of the students is the government’s priority and that conducting exams requires almost 40 days.

“The state government is trying to conduct board examinations for classes 10 and 12. The cancellation of exams is the last resort only. It is in the interest of the students only that the state government is trying to conduct the exams,” said Suresh while addressing a press conference on Friday.

He further accused the opposition TDP of creating fear in the minds of students and parents.

“TDP is unnecessarily politicising the matter of exams and creating fear in the minds of students and parents. But many students and parents are ready for exams,” said the state education minister.

Suresh stated that competitive exams like the JEE and NEET will also have to be taken into consideration before a decision is announced on the cancellation of boards.

“The exam schedule will only be announced once the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic stabilises and the atmosphere is conducive. The exams may be conducted in July,” he said.

Exams postponed

The state government had last month postponed the class 10 board exams till further notice. Andhra Pradesh Board examinations were scheduled to be held from 7 to 16 June.

The chief minister’s office had then said that the state will review the situation again in July and make a decision accordingly.

Andhra Pradesh state government has all along remained adamant and asserted that it would go ahead with the examinations “to safeguard the future of the students.”

CBSE, ICSE cancellation

Notably, the Centre had last week cancelled the CBSE class 12 board, bringing relief to numerous students and parents as the country continues to battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

The Union government said the decision on the CBSE exam cancellation was taken keeping in mind the health and safety of the students.

The CBSE will announce the results “as per well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner”. It was also decided that in case some students desire to take the examinations, CBSE will offer an option “as and when the situation becomes conducive”.

After the government’s decision, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) also decided to cancel its class 12 board examinations this year.

Several states have also followed suit. These include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Jharkhand and West Bengal.