The author Nargish Khambatta is Executive Vice President, GEMS Education
There is a moment every board examination student recognizes – the invigilator walks down the aisle, question papers are placed face down on each desk. For a few seconds, the hall is utterly silent. That slow breath before everything you’ve prepared for meets the test. But for many of you students in Class 10 and 12 across the Gulf, that moment didn’t arrive for most subjects.
I know that moment when the exam hall goes quiet. I’ve been working in education for more than 35 years, and I want to speak to you directly. I know papers were first postponed and then cancelled due to a sudden conflict and regional tensions in the Middle East. You were ready, you’d put in the hours, and suddenly the final step you’d toiled for vanished. That must feel very personal. And you know what? It’s okay to feel disappointed, puzzled, or even angry.
However, a little perspective always helps. During COVID, millions of students faced far bigger disruptions. We all adapted to digital classrooms, and returned to physical school environments with renewed discipline. Entire examination cycles were cancelled, academic calendars were rewritten overnight, and universities had to rethink admissions processes globally. Systems had to change quickly, and schools and universities are now much better at adapting.
The rapid transition to online learning during those years also taught educators an important lesson: assessment can take many forms, and learning is far broader than a single examination sitting. Admissions decisions increasingly consider predicted grades, internal assessments, portfolios, and teacher recommendations; and education systems are now far better prepared to respond with flexibility and fairness. In other words, the educational ecosystem has evolved to ensure that you, boys and girls, are not disadvantaged by circumstances beyond your control.
You will agree that what we are witnessing today is different with a much smaller cohort of students impacted. However, for you, the disruption feels deeply personal, doesn’t it? After all examinations occupy a unique place in the educational journey of every student, and ‘the Boards’ in particular are milestones that are collectively anticipated.
There is a standing satirical commentary during this time for Indian families; it is as if the entire family, cat, dog and laundry man give the Board exams! That’s how intense the preparations are. And when that moment shifts unexpectedly, it is natural to feel a sense of incompleteness.
But surely you know that what really matters isn’t the papers you missed but the habits you built getting ready for it: discipline, persistence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to stay focused even when the outcomes feel uncertain. Those are lifelong skills. I’ve seen students carry those traits into university, careers, and life, and they matter far more than one set of marks.
Education, after all, has never been solely about examinations. It is about equipping you with the capacity to navigate complexity, uncertainty, and change and coddiwomple your way through life by walking in a purposeful manner especially if it is towards an unknown destination.
The stoic Roman philosopher Seneca’s words come to mind, “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” For all of you awaiting clarity about your academic pathways, this insight is particularly relevant. The anxiety surrounding a cancelled exam often feels larger than the consequences themselves.
For the Class of today, the examination halls may have fallen silent, but your journey forward has only just begun. You are the Class of Becoming! Stride ahead confidently, knowing that those of you who learn to adapt with grace will emerge stronger than those who never had to and you will be better prepared for whatever comes next.
Nargish Khambatta is Executive Vice President, GEMS Education
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.