Three thousand schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been notified as evaluation centres, and will soon begin work on evaluating Class 10 and 12 board examinations which have been disrupted by the lockdown, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Saturday.
In a memo issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said that while all schools remain closed under the lockdown guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, "special permission has been granted for the operation of 3,000 CBSE-affiliated schools selected as evaluation centres, for the limited purpose of work associated with the evaluation of answer sheets."
It added that there was no restriction on the transportation of answer sheets to the homes of evaluators, unless they are located within a containment zone.
The CBSE regional offices can also begin work in green and orange zones, and function with limited restrictions in red zones, the MHA memo said, adding that CBSE must ensure that the COVID-19 safety directives are followed at both the schools and offices.
In total, 1.5 crore answer sheets in 173 subjects will be evaluated, said Mr. Nishank. Results will only be announced after the completion of pending examinations in 29 subjects, which are to be held from July 1-15, he added.
School and university classes and examinations have been put on hold across the country since March 16, and it is unclear when educational institutions will be allowed to reopen.
