Following suit of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Maharashtra state-board decision regarding postponement and cancellation of major Classes 10 and 12 board examinations, the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) is yet to take a decision. The council has not taken a major decision yet for postponement of offline Class 10 Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Class 12 Indian School Certificate (ISC) board examinations.
On Wednesday, a senior official of CISCE confirmed stating, "Any decision regarding postponement or cancellation of offline Class 10 ICSE and Class 12 ISC board examinations has not been taken yet. The official decision will be communicated through CISCE."
After the CBSE board announced cancellation of Class 10 board exams and postponement of Class 12 board exams on Wednesday, there were rumours and fake news that CISCE has cancelled ICSE and ISC exams. Francis Joseph, co-founder of School Leaders Network (SLN) said, "I have verified with CISCE. No decision has been taken with regards to ICSE and ISC board exams. There is some fake news circulating that the exams are cancelled which is incorrect and fake, please ignore such erroneous messages."
According to the schedule released by CISCE, Class 10 ICSE theory board examinations are scheduled to be conducted offline from May 4 to June 7 and Class 12 ISC board exams will be held from May 4 to June 18, 2021.
On the other hand, students have been demanding postponement, shift of exams to online mode or alternative methods to conduct ICSE and ISC board exams citing Covid-19 risks. Neeraj Dedhiya, an ISC student said, "It is a huge risk to appear for exams offline amidst rising Covid-19 cases. My building is sealed and we are scared to even step out. Why are we forced to appear for exams amidst such a crisis? Alternative methods should be considered for conduct of board exams."
