The SSLC and Plus Two higher secondary and vocational higher examinations have been postponed to April 8.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Teeka Ram Meena, in a statement on Thursday, said the Election Commission of India (ECI) had given its permission for rescheduling the examinations. The examinations will now be held from April 8 to 30. The timetable is expected to be published soon.
The decision brings to an end uncertainty among students and parents, not to mention teachers, over conduct of examinations as scheduled from March 17 to 30.
The State government’s request seeking permission for postponing the examinations, along with the Chief Electoral Officer’s recommendation, had earlier been forwarded to the ECI. The commission had sought certain clarifications on the request, including the new examination dates under consideration.
The clarifications provided by the State government were forwarded by the Chief Electoral Officer to the commission, requesting an early decision on the matter. After consideration, the ECI gave its nod for postponing the examinations, Mr. Meena said.
With just under a week to go for the examinations, Education Department officials had claimed they were fully geared up to conduct them as scheduled from March 17, if needed.
The government had requested the postponement of examinations following an increase in the number of polling booths and the number of teaching and non-teaching deployed for poll duty.
For instance, at the Pareeksha Bhavan, everyone except the Secretary, were slotted for election duty. Many DEOs and chiefs and deputy chiefs in charge of examinations too had poll duty.
The two or three rounds of election training for them would clash with the examination dates. Also, most of the polling booths were in schools and the training process would also be held in schools.
The government also contended that as the polling day was very close to the last day of the examination, any possible spread in COVID-19 would affect the conduct of the polls. The other board examinations were also being held in April-May, it pointed out.
