CBSE Class 10, 12 Board Exams 2021: Priyanka Gandhi makes BIG claim over Board exams

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Friday hit out at the Central Board Of Secondary Education (CBSE) for holding exams at a time when the country is facing a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases. Priyanka Gandhi's statement comes at a time when the board has already assured students of adequate safety arrangements and the observation of all COVID-19 guidelines.

The Class 10 Board exams are scheduled to be held between May 4 and June 7 and those for Class 12 would be held between May 4 and June 15, according to the revised CBSE date sheet.

Over a lakh students of classes 10 and 12 had earlier signed petitions urging the government to either cancel the exams or to hold them online. The hashtag 'cancelboardexams2021' has been trending on Twitter over the past few days.

"It is downright irresponsible of boards like the CBSE to force students to sit for exams under the prevailing circumstances," Priyanka Gandhi said. "Board exams should either be cancelled, rescheduled or arranged in a manner that does not require the physical presence of children at crowded exam centres," she added.

Meanwhile, to ensure social distancing during the Class 10 and Class board exams, the Central Board of Secondary Education has increased the number of examination centres across India and abroad. This comes amid the demand from students to cancel the board exams in wake of the rising cases of COVID-19 in India.

The board has added as many as 2,500 more centres to conduct Class 10 and 12 board exams.