UP Board Exams 2021: UPMSP cancels Class 10 exams, 12th exams in July

The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad has decided to cancel UP board high school (class 10) examinations in the wake of COVID-19 situations prevailing in the state. The Class 12 intermediate exams is now proposed in second week of July provided covid situation eases.

Announcing the decision deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma on Saturday said, “The duration of intermediate class 12 exams to be reduced from 3 hours to 90 minutes. Students will have to answer 3 questions only instead of 10.” Thess decisions have been taken in the larger interest of the 56 lakh students, he said.

Following cancellation of the UP board high school exams, all nearly 30 lakh candidates who had registered for the said exam would be promoted to class 11. The officials are now working out a formula on the basis of which the academic performance of these students would be assessed and will be awarded marks accordingly, Sharma said who is also the secondary education minister.

He said, “The intermediate exams may be conducted in second week of July provided the prevailing pandemic situation eases to pave way for the safe conduct of the exam.”

Sharma further said that just like high school examinees, the students of class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 enrolled in schools affiliated to different boards in UP would be promoted to the next level without examination. “Those schools found flouting these guidelines would be strictly dealt with,” he said.

Close on the heels of CBSE and CISCE announcing their decision not to hold class 10 examinations, the UP board also took similar decisions giving relief to lakhs of students and their parents across the state. The UP board had already reduced the syllabus by 30% following the outbreak of pandemic in 2020.

The announcement by these educational board comes following a high level meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh, union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank which was attended by education ministers and secretaries from all states.

The decision comes in the light of the CBSE decision of cancelling class 10 examination to give relief to students.

Nearly 56 lakh students are registered to appear in the UP Board exams, which were deferred on April 15 following a surge in Covid cases across the state.

The UP government had on April 15 decided to postpone the high school class 10 and intermediate class 12 exams of the UP Board. The decision to reschedule the exams was taken in view of the panchayat elections and surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.

This year, 29,94,312 examinees, including 16,74,022 boys and 13,20,290 girls, are registered for the high school examination. Similarly, 26,09,501 examinees, including 14,73,771 boys and 11,35,730 girls, are registered for the intermediate exam.

Last year, the UP Board exams began on February 18 and concluded in the first week of March before the lockdown.