CBSE Cancels Class 12 Exams in Gulf Countries: New Assessment Scheme

Top Summary

• What happened: CBSE cancelled Class 12 board exams in several West Asian countries due to safety concerns.
• Why it matters: Ensures academic continuity and fairness for students amid regional tensions.
• What changes for people: Alternative assessment scheme implemented; schools upload marks by April 13, 2026.
• Who is affected: Class 12 students in CBSE-affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

CBSE Cancels Exams Amidst Safety Concerns

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a special alternative assessment scheme for Class 12 students in West Asia.

This decision follows the cancellation of board examinations in several Gulf countries due to safety concerns. The affected countries include Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Class 12 board examinations scheduled between March 16 and April 10, 2026, have been cancelled.

Reasoning Behind the Cancellation

CBSE stated that the decision was taken due to "prevailing extraordinary circumstances" in West Asian countries that made conducting examinations infeasible.

Student safety and educational security were the primary considerations behind the move. Exams conducted earlier in February 2026 remain valid.

 

"prevailing extraordinary circumstances"

 

Alternative Assessment Scheme

The Board has created an alternate evaluation mechanism for subjects that could not be conducted. This involves dividing students into categories based on the number of exams they appeared for.

The Class 12 assessment consists of two components: theoretical examination and practical/internal assessment.

Depending on the subject, theoretical marks may carry 80, 70, 60, 50 or 30 marks, with the remaining marks assigned to internal assessment or practical work.

Role of School Assessments

For students who could not appear in some or all subjects, schools will submit performance data from quarterly exams, half-yearly exams and final pre-board examinations.

In subjects with 80 or 70 theory marks, the best performance among these three assessments will be considered. In subjects with 60, 50 or 30 theory marks, marks from the final pre-board examination will be used.

Practical and internal assessment marks already uploaded by schools will remain unchanged.

Students Who Missed All Exams

Students whose examinations were completely pending will be assessed entirely on school-based evaluations. However, they may be allowed to appear for fresh examinations later, subject to feasibility.

Compartment candidates or those appearing in a single subject will also get an opportunity to appear in supplementary examinations expected to be conducted in July 2026.

Important Dates and Guidelines

CBSE has announced that schools must upload marks between April 6 and April 13, 2026. Once marks are uploaded, no correction requests will be accepted.

Schools must maintain records for verification. Results will be declared using a uniform mechanism and released along with other Class 12 results.

The Board also confirmed that students who fail to meet the qualifying criteria will be placed in the compartment or essential repeat categories.

What to Watch Next

Keep an eye out for the release of the Class 12 results, which will be based on the new alternative assessment scheme. The dates for supplementary exams in July 2026 for compartment candidates will be announced later.