Odisha cancels class 12 board examinations amid coronavirus crisis

The Odisha government on Friday announced the cancellation of the class 12 board examinations conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE).

Making the announcement, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the safety of students is more important than the examinations.

The state government has already cancelled the class 10 board examination, conducted by the Board of Secondary Education.

Earlier this week, CBSE and CISCE had cancelled the class 12 board examinations.

Noting that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented situation across the country, Patnaik said the prevailing condition has severely affected studies of children.

"However, protection of students' lives is above all the examinations," he said.

"If there is life, then there is the possibility of society and civilisation to move forward. If there is no life, nothing can be achieved," Patnaik said.

If the examinations were held, it could have risked the lives of students, teachers, guardians and others associated with the process, he added.

"Well-defined objective criteria will be made to evaluate the standard of students," Patnaik said, asking the authorities to fix the criteria in a time-bound manner.

However, if anyone has any objection towards the state government's criteria, he or she may appear in the examinations, he said.

The CHSE will take a decision on the conduct of the examinations keeping in view the prevailing situation, he said.

The opposition Congress on Thursday had demanded the cancellation of the class 12 board examinations.