Amid strong anticipations toward the final decision of the Tamil Nadu government over conducting the Class 12 board exams, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has on Wednesday said that the final decision on whether or not to conduct the exams in light of the COVID-19 pandemic will be taken in two days after consulting with the parents of the students, experts, and educationalists. 

According to reports, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has convened a high-level meeting on Wednesday to discuss the possibilities of conducting the Class 12 board exams in the state. The meeting was attended by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Chief Secretary Irai Anbu, Commissioner of School Education department Nandhakumar, and Director of Examinations Usharani. 

The meeting has held a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the CBSE Class 12 board exams are cancelled this year with the view of health and safety of the students amid the second wave of the pandemic. After the meeting, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has asserted that the final decision over the Class 12 board exams will be taken in two days. 

While addressing the reporters, the minister said that the decision over the Class 12 board exams will be taken in two days after obtaining the views and opinions from the parents, health experts, and educationalists. By citing that most of the states have demanded the Center to conduct the CBSE Class 12 board exams, Mahesh Poyyamozhi has said the Center had on Tuesday announced that the Class 12 board exams are cancelled. He further added that the students in Tamil Nadu are in a divide as while some students are in favour of conducting the exams, others are against conducting the exams at this juncture in light of the pandemic. 

The state government has earlier said that it will take a final decision based on the announcement from the Central government and as the Center has announced the cancellation of the CBSE Class 12 board exams, the state government has decided to obtain the views from the parents and experts before arriving at the final decision. Earlier, the state government has asserted that it will conduct the board exams for Class 12 at any cost and it was speculated that the exams will be conducted between July and August after the pandemic has come under control. 

The meeting has come a day after the state government has declared the students between Class 1 to Class 8 as all pass. Earlier, the government had already cancelled the board exams for Classes 9 to 11 by deferring the Class 12 board exams. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi has announced that the Class 12 CBSE board exams are cancelled this year. The CBSE had on April 14 announced the cancellation of class 10 exams and postponement of class 12 exams in view of the surge in the COVID-19 cases. 

Narendra Modi said, "Health and safety of our students are of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect. Anxiety among students, parents, and teachers, which must be put to an end." "Students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation and all stakeholders need to show sensitivity for students", the Prime Minister added.