The Assam government on Friday evening cancelled this year’s Classes X and XII state board examinations because of the “threat” posed by the pandemic.

Education minister Ranoj Pegu said the department would constitute two committees of experts to prepare the modalities of evaluation of the students and that the final results would be declared by July 31. He said the results would be based on marks in past school exams.

The two committees are to be set up on Saturday and will submit their reports in a week.

After a meeting with stakeholders involving the representatives of the Classes X and XII boards, the health and education departments and leading student organisations, Pegu said the final exams could not be held because of the “unchanged” Covid situation.

Over 25,000 children aged between 11 and 18 years have been afflicted by Covid since May this year, prompting the state cabinet to recommend the cancellation of the board exams on Wednesday.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) said health department officials made a presentation at the meeting on the prevailing Covid situation.

“We were told that holding the examinations would pose a threat to the students’ well-being…. As far as we are concerned, we want the interests of our students and candidates protected at any cost,” AASU president Dipanka Nath told The Telegraph.

Over seven lakh students were to take the Classes X and XII exams. Representatives of the All Bodo Students’ Union also attended the meeting.

Central boards CBSE and CISCE have already cancelled their board exams, as have several state boards.

Assam had 36,793 active cases and a falling positivity rate of 2.25 per cent till Thursday.