Amid the rising tensions in West Asia, the Central Board of Secondary Education has cancelled the Class 12 board examinations scheduled for students studying in several Middle Eastern countries. The decision comes in response to the ongoing regional conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which has created security concerns across the Gulf region.
According to officials, all Class 12 examinations scheduled between March 16 and April 10 for students in the Middle East have been cancelled. The affected countries include Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The board also clarified that examinations that had previously been postponed will now stand cancelled as well.
CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj confirmed the development, stating that the decision was taken keeping in mind the safety and security of students in the region. He added that the board will announce the method for declaring the results of these students at a later stage.
Earlier, the board had already cancelled the Class 10 examinations scheduled between March 2 and March 11 for students in the same countries. The CBSE board examination cycle for 2026 had originally begun on February 18. There are nearly 150 CBSE-affiliated schools operating across these seven countries, catering to a large number of Indian students living in the region.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of India in Riyadh has also taken steps to engage with school authorities to address concerns arising from the evolving situation. Deputy Chief of Mission Abu Mathen George, along with First Secretary Vipul Bawa, conducted a virtual meeting with principals of CBSE-affiliated schools across Saudi Arabia. During the interaction, officials briefed school heads about the regional developments and discussed the embassy’s measures to assist the Indian community residing in the country. Queries related to the CBSE board examinations were also addressed during the session.
In a related development, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations also cancelled the ongoing ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) board examinations in the UAE due to the same security concerns.
The current escalation in West Asia reportedly began on February 28 after airstrikes carried out by the United States and Israel targeted Iran. In response, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries that host American military bases, raising tensions across the region and affecting normal activities, including academic examinations.