CBSE students in Oman, GCC granted opportunity to retake Class 12 exams

Muscat: Thousands of Class 12 students from the Sultanate of Oman and other Gulf nations who missed their board examinations earlier this year due to regional tensions will be given a fresh chance to sit the papers, India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced.

In a notification dated 15 September 2026, the CBSE confirmed it will conduct special examinations for students in West Asian countries, including Oman, whose Class 12 board exams were cancelled across 40 subjects—20 academic and 20 skill-based.

The disruption traces back to March, when regional conditions linked to the US-Israel-Iran conflict prevented exams from being conducted as scheduled in Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. The board subsequently declared results using an alternative assessment scheme, promising students an option to sit actual exams once conditions allowed.

Following a ruling by the Supreme Court of India in response to a petition filed on behalf of affected Gulf students, the CBSE is now delivering on that commitment. Under the court-backed order, marks obtained in these upcoming special examinations will be considered final for all participating candidates in Oman and the wider region.