Dubai: Class 10 exams for the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) board exams have been cancelled, it was announced on Tuesday, due to rising COVID-19 cases in India.
The CISE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations), which administers ICSE, said all its affiliated schools should begin the admissions process for Class 11, if they haven’t done so already. “A fair and an unbiased” criterion on which the basis for Class 10 results will be awarded, is going to be announced “later”.
What about Class 12?
As announced earlier (on Friday) by CISE, exams for the Class 12 ISC (Indian School Certificate) have been delayed from their May 4 start date. CISCE said it will closely monitor the COVID-19 situation in India; the postponement of the exams will be reviewed and a final decision will be taken in the first week of June.
There are only four CISE affiliated schools in the UAE. School principals here said they are awaiting further guidance from CISE on the criterion for Class 10 results and new exam dates for Class 12.
On Friday, CISE had initially said that for Class 10, students could choose to write the deferred exams or wait for the criterion. The latest announcement on Tuesday brings clarity for students, said Sheela Menon, Principal, Ambassador School, Dubai.
“The earlier option was unsettling. The new announcement is a wise decision in that it gives that clarity to students. And schools can go ahead and start Class 11, which is crucial for us to do. We’ve now been given a go-ahead for grade 11 classes.”
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Indian schools’ new academic year begins in April. The development follows a similar move by India’s CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) last week.
The date of results for Class 10 will also be announced at a later stage. Earlier, some educators had wondered, with the exams being delayed, how would teachers cover a full curriculum in six months' time. The syllabus to be followed is the ISC 2023 syllabus, the council said in a circular to affiliated schools.
Nargish Khambatta, principal, GEMS Modern Academy, and vice-president – Education, GEMS Education, said: “The situation this year is slightly different, as no exams have yet been conducted.
"In 2020, the Council had requested for Pre-Board marks of the previous two years. Hence, we anticipate a similar request this year as well, as they have assured principals in their circular dated 19 April 2021 that a ‘fair and unbiased criterion’ will be used to assess the Grade 10 students. ICSE schools have already submitted the internal assessment marks in February 2021 to the Council via the online portal."
She added: “While the date of the Board results will be announced later, all students will be admitted to Grade 11 at GEMS Modern Academy, and we look forward to welcoming them back on April 25. Having been prepping for so many months, we are sure the students will be raring to come back to school in droves for their ISC... and their teachers have planned a special celebratory welcome back.”
