The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday postponed ongoing Class 10, 12 examinations till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

"All ongoing CBSE examinations in India and abroad postponed till March 31 and will be rescheduled thereafter... after an assessment of the situation," CBSE Secretary Anurag Tripathi said.

"All ongoing evaluation work will be suspended during the period," he added.

The CBSE announcement came following a directive from the Human Resource Development ministry saying exams are important but safety and security of students and teachers is equally important.

Meanwhile, HRD Ministry's National Testing Agency has also postponed Joint Entrance Examination for Indian Institute of Technology, engineering college admissions.

Fresh date for JEE to be decided in accordance with schedule of board, other competitive exams, National Testing Agency said.

Earlier, the HRD ministry directed the CBSE and all educational institutions in the country to postpone exams till March 31 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

'While maintenance of academic calendar and exam schedule is important, equally important is safety and security of students who are appearing in various examinations as also of their teachers and parents,' HRD secretary Amit Khare said in an official communication.

'All the ongoing examinations, including CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education)board exams, be postponed till March 31 and rescheduled thereafter,' he added.