Over 8,000 parents have written to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan urging him to direct the CBSE to provide a hybrid option for board exams in view of concerns over the omicron coronavirus variant.

“It is pertinent to note that Covid strain omicron has sent panic waves across the country, especially (for) parents and young students. The government of India, the WHO and various other competent authorities have issued advisories understanding the serious gravity of the situation,” the joint letter said. Conducting offline exams under these conditions could cause a medical catastrophe, it added.