The ICSE council has said schools should start the next academic year any time between the middle of March and the first week of June and delinked the commencement of the new school year from the Class X and XII board exams.

A circular issued by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations on Thursday does not mention explicitly when the Class

XI session will start and gives no indication as to when the Class X board exams will be held.

The circular comes in response to a spate of queries from heads of schools about the calendar of the next academic session.

The circular by the council's chief executive and secretary, Gerry Arathoon, says: “Academic Year — the beginning of the academic year in Schools affiliated to the Council shall be from the middle of March and the first week

of June each year. However, the Hill Schools may begin the academic year from February each year.”

It further says: “Heads of Schools are requested to please adhere to the same. This must be maintained to ensure uniformity and parity across all CISCE affiliated schools in India and abroad.”

Arathoon in the circular has said the council is in “receipt of several queries from the Heads of Schools regarding the start of the New Academic Session” for the year 2021-22.

“This has probably been raised since the ICSE & ISC Examination have not been scheduled yet,” the circular says.

“Please be informed that the two matters are unrelated. Without a doubt, the schedule for the ICSE & ISC 2021 Examinations will not take place at the regular time in February/March given the current pandemic situation in the country and notwithstanding the upcoming elections in five States as well. The dates for the Examinations will be announced later, at the appropriate time.”

In December, the council had requested the chief election commissioner to share the election dates of the states that are set to go to the polls in April and May, so the council could “finalise” the schedules of the ICSE (Class X) and the ISC (Class XII) exams.

The circular on Thursday says: “However, the start of the Academic Year in 2021-22 for all Council affiliated schools will remain the same, as in the previous years.”

Usually in Calcutta, the schools begin the new session in April.

In many schools, the session for Class XI begins after the end of the Class X board exams, but before the publication of the results.

In some schools, Class XI students from other institutions begin classes on the basis of provisional admission granted to them. In some schools, outside students are admitted after the board results are published.

Some school heads said they might not be in a position to start Class XI till the time the Class X board exams are held.

“The children’s attention will be on clearing the board exams. How can we begin the session for them till the board exams are held,” said a principal of an ICSE school.