As the conflict between the United States and Iran in the Middle East rages into its sixth day, on March 5, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has canceled the Class 10 board exams scheduled in the region from March 7 to March 11. Exams that were previously postponed to March 3, March 5, and March 6 are also canceled.
The education board has also postponed the Class 12 exams scheduled for March 7 in the Middle East countries. The mode of declaration of results will be announced soon, CBSE announced in a circular 3 notification.
CBSE Controller of Examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj told PTI; “Due to the current situation in parts of the Middle East – Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the board has decided to cancel the Class 10 exams scheduled for March 11.”
The circular said, “All exams scheduled from 03/07/2026 to 03/11/2026 are cancelled. The exams earlier postponed to 03/02/2026, 03/05/2026 and 03/06/2026 are also cancelled.” The mode of declaration of results for Class X candidates will be announced later.
In case of postponement of the Class 12 exam, the education board said it will review the situation on Saturday, March 7 and issue instructions for the exams scheduled from March 9. The revised dates of postponed exams will also be published later.
The circular said, “The examination scheduled for 7th March 2026 is postponed. Revised dates will be announced later. The Board will review the situation on 7th March 2026 and give instructions regarding the examinations scheduled from 9th March 2026 onwards.”
As the CBSE cancels the Class 10 board exams and postpones the Class 12 exams in the Middle East in view of the ongoing conflict in the region, students have been advised to stay in close touch with their schools and keep a close eye on official announcements.
This came as the US and Israel carried out airstrikes on several Iranian cities on February 28 when negotiations with Tehran failed. The US and Israel have targeted the regime’s military command centers, air defense systems, missile bases and key infrastructure. The first strikes, which also hit the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, led to his death.
Four senior military and security officials also died when the US and Israel fired a barrage of missiles with large explosions reported in Tehran and other major cities.
In response, Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, including Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, further expanding the conflict in West Asia and increasing risks to civilians and expatriates.
Recently, the war also spread to international waters as the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka was shot down by a US submarine.
