CBSE Board exams: Students with special needs can use laptops

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: In a significant development, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has approved a proposal to allow students with special needs who are appearing for class 10 and 12 board exams, to use computer or laptops to give exams from this year.

To avail the benefit, interested candidates will have to submit a certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner or qualified psychological consultant. He must note down the grounds for availing the computer facility.

"The use of computer shall be limited to only for typing the answers, for viewing the questions in enlarged font size and for listening to the question items. Concerned candidates shall bring his/ her own computer or laptop duly formatted and the Centre Superintendent shall allow the candidate only after inspection of the computer by a computer teacher, an official notification said after the approval of the proposal by the Board’s examination committee.

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"The computer/ laptop should not have any internet connection in order to maintain the sanctity of the examination. The request for such an arrangement will have to be made in advance by the candidate by sending a communication with required documents to the CS through school," the notice added.

This apart, the Board has also approved the provision for allowing a reader in case the student with a disability does not want scribe facility but needs a person to read the question paper.

A total of 16.38 lakh students have registered for appearing the Class 10 Board exams this year while around 11.86 lakh students are scheduled to appear for Class 12 examinations. In all 7,356 differently abled candidates have registered for the exams.

Candidates from across 17,574 schools will appear for the Board exams to be conducted across 4,453 centres. The examinations for both the Class 10 and Class 12 will begin from March 5. It will continue till April 12 in case of Class 10 and April 4 in the case of Class 12.

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After a gap of seven years, Class 10 board examinations will be making a comeback from this year. For easing, students will now have to secure a total of 33 per cent (internal assessment and theory marks combined) to pass the exams. Previously students had to separately pass with 33 percent from 20 marks in internal assessment and 80 marks in theory paper.