Finance
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled all Class 12 board exams scheduled for March and April 2026. According to the notice sent on March 15, the cancelation affects students set to take the exam in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The circular, written to principals of all CBSE-affiliated schools in the Middle East area, indicates that the decision was made after a study of the viability of conducting board examinations in the affected countries, taking into consideration input and requests from schools and local authorities.
In its circular, the Board outlined three significant decisions. For pupils in the seven impacted countries, all Class 12 tests scheduled between March 16, 2026, and April 10, 2026, have been cancelled.
Examinations that were earlier postponed via circulars dated March 1, March 3, March 5, March 7, and March 9, 2026 have also been cancelled.
The method of announcing the results for Class 12 candidates in these countries will be announced individually in due time.
The circular was issued by Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj, Controller of Examinations, and copies were sent to Indian ambassadors in all seven impacted countries, the Consul General of India in Dubai, and the Director of CBSE RO and CoE in Dubai.
CBSE initially postponed the Middle Eastern Class 10 and Class 12 examinations, which were scheduled for March 2 and March 3, respectively. The circular was released on March 1. Then, on March 3, CBSE released another circular announcing the postponement of the March 5 and 6 Class 10 and Class 12 exams in the Middle East area, which included Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. It stated that it would assess the situation on March 5 and make “appropriate decisions” on examinations scheduled beginning March 7.
Meanwhile, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) notified the cancellation of the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Indian School Certificate (ISC) board examinations, which were scheduled in all UAE centers. The cancellation of Classes 10 and 12 coincides with the current security situation in the Middle East. The UAE has also declared an early start to spring break for schools and institutions, with students and staff scheduled to be off between March 9 and March 22.
Dr Joseph Emmanuel, CISCE’s chief executive and secretary, confirmed to indianexpress.com that CISCE results will be determined using an alternative assessment process. Details about the review process will be provided later. The Class 10 and Class 12 results of pupils impacted by the cancellation of the 2026 board exams would be announced with the results for Indian students, Dr. Emmanuel said.
Source: IE
