Maharashtra COVID-19 news: Important update for Class 1-8 students - Details here

Amid a huge surge in the COVID caseload in Maharashtra, the state School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad, on Saturday (April 3), announced that all state board students across Maharashtra from classes 1 to 8 will be promoted to the next class without any examinations, while a decision regarding students of classes 9 and 11 will be taken soon.

Announcement: In view of the ongoing situation due to #Covid 19, all state board students across Maharashtra state from Class 1st to Class 8th will be promoted to the next class without any examinations. A decision regarding students of class 9th and 11th will soon be taken. pic.twitter.com/3eA5hvQUG5

— Varsha Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) April 3, 2021

"In view of the ongoing situation due to Covid-19, all state board students across Maharashtra state from Class 1st to Class 8th will be promoted to the next class without any examinations," Gaikwad said.

However, the minister added that a decision is pending on conducting exams for the students in Class IX and Class XI and is expected soon.

Maharashtra accounted for more than half of the 89,129 new cases reported by the national health ministry in the last 24 hours, with a record 47,827 infections.

India recorded 89,129 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day spike since September 2020, taking the total tally to 1,23,92,260 on Saturday.

The country has been recording an unabated spike in cases for over three weeks.

Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana are states of "grave concern".