HRD Ministry asks CBSE to postpone all exams including JEE Mains in view of COVID-19 till Mar 31

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on March 18 directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and all educational institutions in the country to postpone all exams including JEE Mains in view of coronavirus outbreak. "All ongoing examinations may be rescheduled after March 31. This would include CBSE, NIOS as also university exams. All evaluation work may be rescheduled after March 31," MHRD announced. The Ministry has requested all teachers and educational institutes to maintain regular communication with students and resolve their queries. It has also appealed to parents, students, and teachers not to panic. A total of 151 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday. Three people have so far died of the infection in the country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. The virus had first emerged in China's Wuhan city in December last year.