Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday directed to put all board examinations in the state on hold in view of surging coronavirus cases.
According to a notification issued by the government, Class X and Class XII board examinations have been put on hold while students of Class IX and Class XI will be promoted to the next higher classes without appearing in any examination.
Besides, the private as well as government schools and hostels across the state will be closed from April 19.
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In view of the resurge in COIVD-19 cases across the state, such a proactive measure was taken by the government, the Chief Minister said.
Accordingly, the annual examination for Class XII conducted by the Odisha Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE), which were scheduled to be held from April 18 has been put on hold.
Further decision with regard to the conduct of examinations will be taken by the state government after the COIVD-19 situation improves. The government along with CHSE authorities will discuss the issue and review the COVID-19 situation before taking a final call on the next likely date.
A decision on the conduct of exams is expected towards June first week. However, students who are to appear in the examinations will be given adequate time, a press note issued by the Chief Minister’s Office read.
Similarly, the Class X annual matriculation examination conducted by the Odisha Board of Secondary Education (BSE) Cuttack, which were scheduled to be held from May 3 has also been put on hold.
Likewise, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated English medium schools and Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya affiliated schools will strictly follow the guidelines issued by CBSE April 14.
All private English medium schools and the hostels managed by them across Odisha will be closed from April 19, the press note stated.
PNN