India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday postponed Class 12 board exams scheduled from March 12 to 16 in several West Asian countries amid the Iran–US–Israel conflict and will review the situation on March 14 before deciding on exams from March 16 onwards.
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In its fifth circular since March 1, CBSE said that after a “critical review of the current situation” in parts of the Middle East (or West Asia), including Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the board has decided to postpone the examinations. The board stated that “the new dates shall be announced later”.
“The board will review the situation on March 14 and take appropriate decisions with regard to examinations scheduled from March 16 onwards,” said CBSE controller of exams Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj in the latest circular, which lists the Indian ambassadors to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iran, as well as the consul general of India in Dubai, among those copied for information and necessary action.
In the fourth circular dated March 7, CBSE had postponed Class 12 board exams scheduled from March 9 to 11. In its third circular dated March 5, 2026, the board cancelled all Class 10 examinations scheduled from March 2 to March 11 and stated that it will later notify the mode of result declaration for thousands of affected students.
There are over 150 CBSE-affiliated schools in West Asia.
In the same circular, the board had postponed the Class 12 examination scheduled on Saturday, March 7.
In its first and second circulars dated March 1 and 3, CBSE had postponed board examinations scheduled on March 2, March 5 and March 6.
“All students are advised to remain in close contact with their schools and follow official announcements carefully,” Bhardwaj said in the latest circular.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia, in particular, host a large number of Indian expatriate families, and CBSE schools there account for a significant share of overseas candidates appearing for the board examinations each year.
CBSE conducts the Class 10 and 12 board exams annually in India and at select foreign centres where its affiliated schools operate.
The Gulf region constitutes the largest overseas cluster of CBSE schools, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh among examination hubs.
The postponements and cancellations mark a rare mid-session disruption to overseas board examinations. In recent years, the CBSE altered schedules mainly during extraordinary circumstances, most notably in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In isolated cases, the board has also deferred exams in specific centres due to extreme weather, local emergencies or security-related concerns, while maintaining the broader national timetable.
CBSE Class 10 and 12 board examinations began on February 18. Over 4.37 million students, including 2.51 million Class 10 students till March 11 and 1.86 million Class 12 students, are appearing for the CBSE board examinations till April 10.
