Balurghat, Feb. 7: The Class X and XII students of Atreyee English Medium School here can heave a sigh of relief as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to allow them take the board exams at their own institution.

Earlier, the central board had earmarked Kendriya Vidyalay at the BSF camp in Mirual, 15 km from Raiganj town, as the board examination centre for the institution. The 196 examinees and their guardians had been tense ever since the CBSE regional office in Allahabad wrote to the school authorities, mentioning the venue for the board exam, which was situated 125 km from the school and in a different district.

That the CBSE has reversed its decision was conveyed to the school authorities today by the RSP Rajya Sabha member, Abani Roy. The parliamentarian told the authorities that the official communication will reach them in a day or two.

The secretary of the governing committee of the school, Nabakumar Das, said the decision has come as a relief since it would have been taxing for the students if they had to take the exams so far away. Even the guardians would have to go through a lot of trouble, he added. ?Roy today told me that Singh had called him up from Allahabad and said the examination will be held at the school and not outside,? he said.

With no other CBSE school in the vicinity, the board exams were usually held at the home centre. The CBSE?s regional officer, Ranbir Singh, kicked up a storm when he had told The Telegraph that the centre was being shifted following allegations that the exams were not being conducted properly at the school.

The school authorities were reportedly outraged by the comment. ?We have been holding the examination in our home centre for the past 21 years and no one has ever accused us of any irregularities,? Das said. ?Moreover, the exam is being conducted by a centre superintendent sent by the board and not us.?

Balurghat Lok Sabha member Ranen Barman and even state jail minister Biswanath Chowdhury tried to convince the CBSE authorities to shift the centre.

Chowdhury, who is the chairman of the school, had written to union human resource development minister Arjun Singh, stating that the CBSE?s decision was against their rule. According to the board rules, the exam centre had to be within 100 km of the school.