CBSE Exams Cancelled:The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), has cancelled the Class 12 board examinations for students studying in its affiliated schools across seven Middle East countries, bringing fresh uncertainty for thousands of candidates who were due to appear this exam cycle. The decision applies to CBSE-affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These examinations had been scheduled to take place between March 16 and April 10.
The board said the move came after reviewing whether it would be practical to hold the exams in the region under the prevailing circumstances.
CBSE Issues Fresh Circular On Overseas Exams
The announcement was made through Circular-6 issued on March 15, 2026, and sent to CBSE-affiliated schools in the affected countries. In the circular, the board informed schools that all remaining Class 12 examinations scheduled during the March 16 to April 10 window now stand cancelled.
The latest order follows a series of earlier notices that had already disrupted the examination calendar for students in the region. As per the circular, postponement notices had previously been issued on March 1, March 3, March 5, March 7 and March 9. With this latest step, the board has now formally withdrawn the planned Class 12 examinations in these countries.
The decision is significant because the affected schools form a major part of CBSE’s overseas footprint, particularly in the Gulf region, where the board has long had a strong academic presence.
Result Process For Affected Students To Be Declared Separately
While confirming the cancellation, CBSE has not yet announced how marks will be awarded to the impacted Class 12 students. The board said the process for preparing and declaring their results will be shared later through a separate notification.
That means students and schools will now have to wait for clarity on the assessment model that will be adopted in place of the written examinations. The board has indicated that both the mode of evaluation and the mechanism for result declaration will be communicated in due course.
The announcement comes after earlier disruptions had already affected board examinations for both Class 10 and Class 12 students in the seven countries. Those examinations, scheduled on March 2, March 5, and March 6 for the academic year 2026-27, had already been postponed.
Middle East Remains A Major CBSE Hub
The cancellation has wider implications because of the large number of CBSE-affiliated schools operating across the Middle East. Data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs in 2023 showed that around 217 schools in the region are affiliated with the board.
Among them, the UAE accounts for the largest share, with 106 schools spread across cities including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Saudi Arabia has 37 affiliated schools, followed by Kuwait with 26. Oman has 21 such schools, while Qatar has 19. Bahrain has eight schools affiliated with the board.
Given the scale of CBSE’s presence in these countries, the board’s next announcement on the result framework will be closely watched by students, parents, and schools alike.
Education Loan Information:
