NEW DELHI, Dec 31: The CBSE dates have been announced. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations for Class X and XII will be held from May 4 to June 10, it was announced by Central Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Thursday. The projects, practicals and the internal assessment will be held from March 1.

The Board results will be announced on July 15. Earlier, every year, the results were declared in the month of May while the examinations were held in February and March.

The Education Minister said that the CBSE has reduced the curriculum for Class X and XII by 30 per cent considering the break in studies due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier he had also confirmed that the board examinations will be held in offline mode only, as always.

The Education Ministry had last week announced that the exam dates would be announced on December 31.

As we are passing through a difficult time in history when every country is being devastated by an epidemic, the country's educational and medical experts sit together and take decisions on vital issues like the CBSE exam which affects the life and prospects of lakhs and lakhs of little children in the country. The examination schedule is not a matter to be opposed through senseless newspaper articles by unqualified people.

There is criticism that the delayed CBSE will impact the academic calendar of 2021. The concern is unwarranted as the universities and other higher educational institutions in India will automatically reschedule the admission as per the demand becausae they are meant for the students. How do we justify all sorts of thoughtless opposition to anything and everything around. What happened last year? There could not be an exam at all!

Then comes foreign admissions. It should be clearly understood that India is not conducting school examinations for foreign admissions. When will we have some sense?