The national level Indian Olympiad exam conducted by Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education has been postponed due to increase in the cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The examinations scheduled for January 9 and 16 have been postponed. The final decision regarding the examinations to be held on January 23 will be taken by the organizer by January 10. Around one lakh school students from across the country were expected to participate in the Olympiad.
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The exams to be held on January 9 included the Indian Olympiad Qualifiers in Mathematics (for Class 10, 11 and 12 students) and the Indian Olympiad Qualifiers in Junior Science (for Classes 9 and 10). Similarly, the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Physics and the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Biology was scheduled on 16 January.
The postponement comes after several states across the country announced new guidelines as a result of closure of educational institutions and travel restrictions.
Professor Ankit Sule, a member of the Olympiad team, said the decision was taken keeping in mind the closure of schools in around 10 states and the weekend curfew in several parts of the country, as reported by Time of India.
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The latest restriction had made it extremely difficult to conduct the exam in physical mode. Sule said the organizing team had also received several requests from students whose buildings were sealed due to the new cases. The new dates for the Olympiad will be announced after the current COVID-19 situation improves.
Like last year, except a three-stage process, the 2021-2022 Olympiads were to be held in a two-stage process, consisting of an Indian Olympiad qualifier, followed by an orientation-cum-selection camp. The objective type test and the subjective paper which were earlier conducted separately were combined into one. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced the International Olympiads to be conducted in online mode last year. The decision regarding this year’s exam format will be taken by the organizers by March.
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