New Delhi, April 9: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday slammed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for holding exams amid the COVID-19 spike in the country and said the exams should either be cancelled or rescheduled.

"It is downright irresponsible of boards like the CBSE to force students to sit for exams under the prevailing circumstances. Board exams should either be cancelled, rescheduled or arranged in a manner that does not require the physical presence of children at crowded exam centres," tweeted Gandhi.

Further taking a dig at the government she said our education system needs to drastically alter its attitude and start reflecting sensitivity and compassion towards children rather than just talk about it at their conclaves and conferences. CBSE Board Exams 2021 Class 10 & 12 Datesheet Announced: Board Examination to be Held From May 4 to June 11; Here's How Students Can Check Complete Exam Schedule on cbse.nic.in.

"While corona is ravaging our country again, the added pressure of exams is bound to affect the mental health of children. Our education system needs to drastically alter its attitude and start reflecting sensitivity and compassion towards children rather than just talk about it at their conclaves and conferences," she added.

On December 31, the Education Ministry announced examination dates for Class 10th and 12th CBSE students to be held from May 4 to June 10 and results for both to be declared by July 15, 2021.

Every year, the Board exams used to begin from the month of February-March and the results were declared by the month of May. This year, the academic year started late due to the COVID-19 pandemic and classes were held online.

Meanwhile, India today registered a record single-day spike of 1.31 lakh new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 1,30,60,542.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the country recorded 1,31,968 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. With this fresh surge, the total number of infections has reached 1,30,60,542.