CBSE Postpones Class 10 and 12 Board Exams in Gulf Nations Amid Rising Regional Tensions

New Delhi | March 3, 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has once again deferred its Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations scheduled for March 5 and 6 in several Gulf countries due to escalating hostilities in West Asia.

In an official circular issued on Tuesday, the Board informed principals of over 150 affiliated schools across Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that revised dates will be announced at a later stage. The examinations were initially set to begin on March 2 but were postponed earlier this week before being pushed back again.

The Board stated that it will reassess the situation on Thursday and decide on examinations planned from March 7 onward. Students have been advised to remain in close contact with their respective schools and follow official notifications carefully.

The postponement impacts thousands of Indian students enrolled in CBSE-affiliated institutions throughout the Gulf region. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia host large Indian expatriate communities, and their CBSE schools account for a substantial portion of overseas candidates each year. Key examination centres include cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh.

CBSE officials said they are still assessing the total number of students affected, noting that their immediate priority is monitoring conditions in the impacted countries and issuing timely updates.

The annual board examinations for Classes 10 and 12 commenced on February 18, with more than 4.37 million students registered this year — including approximately 2.51 million in Class 10 and 1.86 million in Class 12 — both in India and at designated overseas centres.

Such mid-session disruptions to international board exams are uncommon. In recent years, schedule changes were largely limited to extraordinary circumstances, most notably during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, as well as isolated instances involving extreme weather or local security concerns.

The latest notification was signed by Controller of Examinations Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj and circulated to Indian diplomatic missions in the affected countries for necessary coordination and action.