CBSE board exams at own schools for students with disabilities

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has approved a proposal to allow students with certain categories of disability to take their board examinations at their own schools instead of at external centres.

The decision, cleared at a recent meeting of the board’s governing body, will be followed by detailed guidelines. Currently, children with special needs (CWSN) are assigned the same examination centres as other students from their schools. Officials said the move aims to ease the stress for students in specific disability categories, who may find it difficult to adjust to unfamiliar environments during examinations.

“This year, nearly 40 lakh students appeared for the board examinations, including 135 Class XII students and 246 Class X students under the autism spectrum category,” the minutes of the meeting noted. “The board, being sensitive to the needs of such candidates, feels that adjusting to a new environment can be challenging and could affect their performance,” it added.

The CBSE clarified that the change will have no financial implications. The examination committee endorsed the proposal but decided that a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) must be prepared to ensure the benefit reaches only eligible students and that examination security is maintained.

The governing body also approved a performance analysis of Class X mathematics to compare results between the basic and standard levels introduced in 2019-20, with the aim of reducing academic stress. The study will track performance trends, regional and demographic variations, common errors and learning gaps, and will inform future teaching and assessment strategies. A five-member expert panel, supported by CBSE’s research staff and data analysts, will conduct the review.