Amid the second wave of the pandemic gripping the country, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged the Centre to cancel board exams for students in classes 10 and 12.
Stating that the national capital has registered over 13,500 cases in 24 hours, Kejriwal said the Centre should consider conducting the board exams virtually.
His comments come just days after Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi made a similar appeal.
The Congress general secretary had on Sunday written to the education minister seeking cancellation of the CBSE Board exams, saying it will be impossible to ensure safety of students at crowded exam centres.
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In a tweet on Monday, she said, "Come on @cbseindia29 @DrRPNishank @narendramodi do the right thing!"
Meanwhile, warning that conducting the exams may contribute to the large-scale spread of the virus, Kejriwal said the examination centres could emerge as major hotspots.
"Six lakh children in Delhi are going to write CBSE exams. Nearly one lakh teachers will be a part of it. These (the centres) can become major hotspots leading to large-scale spreading of corona. Children's lives and health are very important to us. I request the Centre to cancel the CBSE exams," he said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education can explore other methods, including online exams and promoting students on the basis of internal assessments, he said.
"Several countries have done it, some states in India are doing it too. Some alternative methods could be thought of. Children can be promoted this time on the basis of either an online method or internal assessment. But the exams should be cancelled," he added.
The CBSE Class 10 and 12 exams are scheduled to begin on May 4. With the exponential increase in coronavirus cases, the chorus for cancellation or postponing the board exams is growing.
(With PTI inputs)
