After a long and tense period of anticipation, class 12 students of CBSE and ICSE can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Union Government has decided to cancel the CBSE and CISCE class 12 board which were to be held on June 1. PM Modi was given a briefing regarding all the other options for class 12 boards before deciding on cancellation for the 'health and safety' of students. Several states like Rajasthan, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttrakhand have also announced the cancellation of their regional boards while other states like Karnataka and Odisha are yet to take a final call on the matter. This decision comes after the cancellation of the class 10 boards earlier this year but the cancellation of class 12 boards is far more significant. While there has been discussion for some time over the validity of holding class 10 boards in the first place, class 12 boards in India as a significant educational milestone. The class 12 board exams are considered an essential part of deciding the future trajectory of their higher education and career. More generally, class 12 board exams for many are an indication to 'get serious' in life. It is unknown how much of an impact removing such a milestone would have for those who are going on to higher education from this year onwards. Regardless, it is obvious why it was so important to cancel these important exams. The pandemic has revealed significant weaknesses in our education system, particularly in regards to the flexibility of the system to carry on outside of physical classrooms. While schools and classrooms attempt to blur any socioeconomic differences between their students, times like the pandemic serve to aggravate them and make them obvious. While some students have easier access to digital learning materials, others suffer from a wide disparity in everything from an internet connection to a consistent electricity supply. For those students not able to effectively learn from home, a wide and unfair gap is created between them and more digitally connected students as they prepare to give the all-important class 12 board exams. Beyond the disparity in learning access caused by the pandemic, it is also simply unsafe to hold such physical board exams. Safety measures, as always, are limited in how far they can go in keeping out infection. Yes, temperature checks, sanitisers, masks (even double masks), social distancing can all help but there is simply no guarantee of safety even then. Vaccines, as always, are the key and India is quite simply not vaccinating enough to have a large percentage of its school population inoculated. Indeed, India has no inoculation yet for those under 18 with India only recently starting trials for the 2-18 age group. As such, the decision to cancel the board exams can only be considered prudent given the disproportionate amount of risk that comes from continuing with the exams as previously planned. But, of course, beyond the safety of the students, it is also vital to ensure that the cancellation does not have an outsized impact on their future careers and life opportunities. This is why the SC has directed the CBSE to come up with fair and rational criteria to mark the results of the class 12 board exams. Reports say that two options are mainly being considered. The first is to judge students on the basis of class 10, 11 and 12 internal exams. The second option is to make the assessment based on class 10 board exams alongside the internal assessments in class 12. Furthermore, if students are dissatisfied with the result obtained by whatever system of marking is finally used, they can appeal the results and be given a chance to appear for the board exams in person when the situation for the same finally becomes conducive. It is expected that a final decision for the same will be made public shortly.