Thousands of Indian students across the Gulf will get a second chance at their board exams, following a Supreme Court order and months of uncertainty caused by regional conflict.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that it will conduct special Class 12 examinations for students in Gulf and West Asian countries whose results were previously declared under an alternative assessment scheme due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict.
The decision, issued in a circular dated September 15, 2026, comes in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling in CWP-815 of 2026 and brings relief to thousands of students whose academic futures were thrown into limbo when board exams were cancelled earlier this year.
What Happened Earlier
The disruption dates back to March, when escalating regional tensions linked to the US-Israel-Iran conflict made it impossible to hold board exams as scheduled in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
To prevent students from being left without results, CBSE introduced an assessment scheme on March 27 that calculated scores using school-level assessments, including quarterly, half-yearly, and pre-board examinations. Results for regular students were declared on May 13, with private candidates' results following shortly after.
The board had said at the time that students dissatisfied with the assessment-based results could be given a chance to sit the actual exams once conditions were conducive.
Legal Challenge and Supreme Court Intervention
That promise became the subject of legal action when affected students and their families petitioned India's Supreme Court. In July 2026, the court issued notice to the Centre and CBSE on a petition filed by Gulf and West Asian Class 12 students.
The petition argued that the alternative assessment method disadvantaged students who had performed strongly in their regular board preparations but received lower marks in school examinations. It noted that some students who had qualified in JEE Main were unable to meet eligibility requirements for admission schemes such as Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) and Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries (CIWG), which require a minimum aggregate of 75 percent.
Following the court's intervention, CBSE agreed to conduct the special exams. "In compliance with the decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in CWP-815 of 2026, CBSE has now decided to conduct examinations for all such Class XII candidates in West Asian countries, whose results were declared under the Assessment Scheme, in the 40 subjects that were previously cancelled," the circular stated.
Key Details for Students
Who is eligible: The special exams are open to both regular and private candidates who submitted exam forms for the 2026 main exams and whose results were declared under the assessment scheme. Students who were absent for the original March exams for any reason, or new candidates who had not registered earlier, are not eligible.
Subject selection: Students may choose which subjects they wish to reappear for. The marks obtained in these exams will be treated as final, replacing their previous assessment-based results.
Registration window: Students must submit their List of Candidates (LOC) or exam forms from September 22 to September 26, 2026. Forms must be submitted personally via a link on the official CBSE website. CBSE has confirmed there will be no extensions to this window under any circumstances.
What is covered: The exams will cover 40 subjects — 20 academic and 20 skill-based — that were previously cancelled.
Exam centres and fees: There is no examination fee for the retake. Exam centres will remain the same as before, and no subject changes will be permitted once forms are submitted.
Timetable: Dates and the detailed timetable will be shared once registrations close. Notably, CBSE has said there will be no facility for a "post-result declaration" this time, meaning results will not be revised further after this round.
A Relief for Thousands
Prof. Dr. Ram Shankar, Director of CBSE Regional Office and Centre of Excellence in Dubai, welcomed the decision. "It is a very positive decision in the interests of the students. The eligible students can now reappear for the cancelled exams as decided by the Board," he told Gulf News.
The Ministry of External Affairs had estimated that nearly 23,000 Indian students in the Gulf missed crucial board exams due to the instability.
For families across Kerala, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu who fund overseas education through remittances and loans, the past several months have been marked by uncertainty. The Gulf region accounts for nearly a quarter of all Indian students abroad, with the UAE alone hosting over 250,000 Indian students.
The special exams represent a crucial second chance for those whose academic trajectories were upended by events entirely beyond their control. With the registration window set to open on September 22, eligible students now have a clear path forward and a narrow window to seize it.
