There will be no exams this year for CBSE Class 12 students, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today, saying the decision was taken in the interest of students. The move comes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Health and safety of our students is of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. “Anxiety among students, parents and teachers, which must be put to an end…Students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation. All stakeholders need to show sensitivity for students,” it said.

The Prime Minister’s decision came at the end of a key meeting held today on the matter. The meeting was attended by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Chairman Manoj Ahuja, besides other officials.

CBSE will now take steps to compile the results of Class 12 students according to per well-defined objective criteria in a time-bound manner, the PMO release said. Like last year, in case some students desire to take the exams, such an option would be provided to them as and when the situation becomes conducive.

The decision to do away with the exam this year comes two days ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on the matter, during which the Centre is expected to file its reply on a plea seeking exactly this. The court had, on May 31, adjourned the hearing to June 3 after the Centre sought time to take a decision

Earlier, during a May 23 meeting, CBSE had proposed holding the exam between July 15 and August 26. It also put forth two options: regular exams in 19 major subjects at notified centres and shorter-duration exams at schools where the students are enrolled

A majority of the states expressed their opinion in favour of holding the exam, Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had said following that meeting