CBSE cancels Class 12 board exams in 7 West Asian countries amid US Israel Iran war

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Sunday announced that it has cancelled Class 12 board examinations scheduled in several countries across West Asia, citing security concerns amid the ongoing US-Israel-Iran conflict.

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The move covers CBSE-affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Students in these countries were originally set to appear for the March-April 2026 examination cycle, with exams scheduled between March 16 and April 10, 2026. That entire schedule has now been cancelled.

CBSE said the decision was taken as a precautionary step to protect the safety and well-being of students, teachers and examination staff at a time of serious regional instability.

Authorities have been closely watching the fast-changing security situation in the region, which has disrupted normal academic activity and examination planning in several countries. Against that backdrop, the board has decided not to conduct the Class 12 board examinations at any centre in the affected countries.

CBSE also made it clear that papers which had already been postponed earlier will no longer be held. In its latest notice, the board said,  “Examinations which were earlier postponed via the circular dated 01.03.2026, 03.03.2026, 05.03.2026, 07.03.2026 and 09.03.2026 shall also stand cancelled. The mode of declaration of results for Class XII candidates in these countries will be notified separately in due course.”

With that, all examinations covered under those earlier postponement circulars now stand fully cancelled.

The board has said the process for evaluating students and declaring results for affected candidates will be announced separately. It has indicated that an alternative assessment mechanism is being worked out for students whose examinations have been cancelled because of the security situation.

For now, students and schools in these seven West Asian countries will have to wait for further clarification on how final Class 12 scores for the 2026 academic year will be worked out and when the results will be released.