New Delhi, Jun 3 (IANS): As many as 56.4 per cent of the people approve the Central governments decision to cancel the Class XII board exams of CBSE and CICSE in view of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the IANS-CVoter CBSE Snap Poll.

The IANS-CVoter CBSE Snap Poll was conducted in the aftermath of the Union government's decision to cancel the Class XII board exams taken on June 1. The all-India sample size for the snap poll was 5,422 and the fieldwork was conducted on June 2.

Similarly, 56.6 per cent of those interviewed in the states said that the state board exams for Class XII should also be cancelled because of the prevailing Covid situation in the country.

Notably, while several states like Rajasthan, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarakhand have cancelled the Class XII board exams, Chhattisgarh is holding offline exams. Others, including Karnataka and Odisha, are yet to announce their final decision on the matter.

The majority of the respondents said that while career is important for the students, health risks should be avoided keeping in view of the spread of the deadly virus in the country, stating that conducting offline exams can prove fatal.

Notably, 60 per cent of those surveyed said that cancelling Class XII board exams can have adverse impact on the career of the students and to avoid such a situation, the government should opt for alternate mechanisms like digital mediums to conduct various exams.

A whopping majority of the respondents -- 76.4 per cent -- said the government should think of using digital mediums to conduct various competitive exams like IIT/JEE, NEET and for admissions to universities and colleges in a fair manner to prevent loss of a career year of the students.

However, 60 per cent of the respondents expressed concern about the digital divide in the country and said that children not having access to digital platforms, especially in the rural areas, will be in disadvantageous position.

A large number of respondents said the government should work on improving digital infrastructure in the rural areas of the country in order to face such challenges in the future.

Notably, a large number of respondents expressed concern about vaccines not being made available for the students in this age group; 63 per cent of the respondents asserted that the government should work towards getting vaccines for the students in this age at the earliest, as they are at a crucial stage of their careers.

A large number of respondents -- 46.2 per cent -- said the government had an option of postponing the exams and conduct them at a later stage after getting children in this age group fully vaccinated.

In view of the uncertain conditions brought about by the pandemic and taking into account the feedback obtained from the various stakeholders, the Centre on Tuesday decided to cancel the CBSE Class XII board exams for 2021.

After the government's decision to cancel the CBSE board exams, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) too scrapped the ISC Class XII exams for this year, saying that a scheme for evaluating the students will be announced soon.