West Asia crisis disrupts CBSE exams, Gulf students fear impact on admissions

Vijayawada: Around 20,000 Class XII students, around 5,000 of which are from AP, studying in CBSE-affiliated schools across Gulf countries are facing uncertainty over higher education admissions after examinations disrupted by the recent West Asia crisis were assessed through an alternative evaluation process, according to NRI Telugu organisations and community leaders.

Students in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain were affected after some CBSE board examinations could not be conducted as scheduled amid the regional conflict. According to representatives of the Indian community in the Gulf, CBSE subsequently awarded marks for the affected subjects based on internal assessments, triggering concerns among students and parents over lower aggregate scores.

With admissions to engineering, medicine and other professional undergraduate courses underway, many students fear that the evaluation method could adversely affect their chances of securing seats in institutions where merit rankings are determined by Class XII scores.

Alternative evaluation raises concerns

Community leaders said internal assessment marks were not designed to replace final board examinations and often reflected periodic school-level evaluations rather than students’ full academic potential. They argued that many candidates who expected to improve their scores in the board examinations have now been left at a disadvantage.

Students and parents have reportedly approached CBSE and the Union government seeking a review of the assessment process and suitable relief measures, including reassessment, moderation or other corrective mechanisms.

Seeking intervention, NRI TDP leaders Jani Basha Shaik, Advisor of the Saudi Telugu Association (SATA), Rajasekhar Chennupati, NRI TDP leader, and Ravi Radha Krishna, President of the NRI TDP Gulf Council, submitted a representation highlighting the issue and urging authorities to prevent academic loss to affected students.

The representation stated that the situation has created anxiety among students and parents at a critical stage of the academic calendar and called for an expeditious decision to safeguard admission prospects.

The issue has gained attention among Indian communities across the Gulf, where thousands of students study in CBSE-affiliated schools and rely on Class XII board examination results for admission to universities in India and abroad.