The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled all Class 12 board examinations scheduled between March 16 and April 10, 2026, for students appearing from seven Middle East countries — Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

In a circular issued on March 15, the board informed principals of CBSE-affiliated schools in the region that the decision was taken after reviewing the feasibility of conducting the examinations, considering inputs and requests received from schools and local authorities.

According to the notice, all Class 12 examinations scheduled during the period stand cancelled for candidates in the affected countries. 

The board also clarified that examinations which had earlier been postponed through circulars dated March 1, March 3, March 5, March 7, and March 9, 2026, are now officially cancelled.

CBSE said the mode of declaration of results for Class 12 candidates in these countries will be communicated separately in due course.

The circular was issued by Controller of Examinations Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj, with copies sent to Indian ambassadors in the seven countries, the Consul General of India in Dubai, and the Director of CBSE Regional Office (RO) and Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Dubai.

Earlier this month, CBSE had begun postponing examinations in phases due to the evolving situation in the region. On March 1, the board postponed Class 10 and Class 12 exams scheduled for March 2 and 3. 

Another circular on March 3 deferred the March 5 and 6 examinations across the Middle East, stating that the situation would be reviewed before taking further decisions on exams scheduled from March 7 onward.

Meanwhile, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has also cancelled ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) board examinations at all centres in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in view of the prevailing security situation in the region.

Confirming the development, CISCE chief executive and secretary Dr Joseph Emmanuel was quoted as saying by indianexpress.com that results for affected students will be determined through an alternative assessment method, details of which will be announced later. 

He added that the results of students impacted by the cancellation will be declared along with the results of students in India.

The cancellations come as the UAE government announced an early start to the spring break for schools and universities, with students and staff scheduled to remain on vacation between March 9 and March 22.