Dubai: With Indian CBSE board exams for minor subjects starting this week, UAE-based school principals have shared updates on the exams after attending a recent webinar organised by CBSE.
CBSE, or Central Board of Secondary Education, is India’s biggest school board with thousands of affiliated schools in India, UAE and elsewhere.
As announced earlier, this academic year will see two CBSE exams – Term 1 and Term 2 – instead of one final CBSE exam, which is usually the case for Class 10 and 12.
What are the updates?
For students who cannot sit the Term 1 exams - spread over the months of November and December - due to their participation in sports events (recognised by Sports Authority of India) their results will be decided on the basis of the Term 2 exams only.
This also applies to students who test positive for COVID-19 during the exams and therefore cannot take the Term 1 exams. In such cases, the final result will also be based solely on Term 2 exams.
For students who cannot sit the Term 2 exams due to a clash of dates with their sporting events, they will be given an opportunity to sit the exams later.
Other developments
Meanwhile, admit cards have issued for the exams, which will be held offline, the UAE-based principals said, noting the developments discussed in the CBSE webinar.
Teresa Varman, Principal and CEO, GEMS Millennium School – Sharjah, welcomed the CBSE’s move to accommodate students participating in sports.
She said: “To promote the spirit of sports and facilitate the participation of students in International Olympiads and national sporting events recognised by Sports Authority of India, CBSE has decided to conduct special exams at a later date for all such candidates, because the dates are expected to clash with one another.”
Offline only
Fatima Martin, Principal and CEO, GEMS New Millennium School - Al Khail, Dubai, affirmed the CBSE exams will be held offline.
She said: “CBSE have been firm with their latest announcement of the Term 1 board exams to be held in the offline mode. For students in the UAE, this signifies consistency in the evaluation of assessments at a national level, along with lesser levels of unpredictability for the overall end of year grade.”
She added: “The guidelines to all schools, which are now self-centres, are lucid and cover all aspects of dealing with the receding pandemic. The admit cards were downloaded with ease as well.”
