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The Central Board of Secondary Education, (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) students have raised a plea to the Supreme Court regarding the 1st term exams, which are to be held offline. The students are seeking a hybrid exam option. And for the same, they have moved to the Supreme Court.
The semester and term One of CBSE and ICSE exams (class 10 and 12) for the year 2021-22 are to be held from November 16 and November 22 later this month. Parents across states are, however, concerned, about the pandemic still being quite prevalent. One parent said: “We are not asking to cancel the exam. We are asking, to give students a hybrid option. Even now, in states like Kerala, Covid cases are increasing. The Board might claim to follow health protocols, but as per my observation, it is practically impossible. Apart from that, there are two Board exams this year. One is the first term exam, which is happening now, and the second board exam happening later. If the board is concerned about the protocols, why should they take two exams? They are assuring vaccination for adults, but; not children, then what is the point of having offline exams and schooling?
For two years, classes have happened well online. Suddenly, with a few measures in place, students are asked to come to school. It concerns us. The situation is not at all favorable. If they want to conduct exams, they should conduct just one board exam” This parent is from Kerala.
Another parent from Agra said she was sure that health measures have been taken by the government. However, “what worries me is the sudden shift of the platform; that my child will have to face. Considering the time students have spent online, the whole concept of going back to school, giving exams physically in classrooms is a bit scary. I stand united with all the other parents and their issues with offline exams.”
Sukhpal Singh Toor, Education Activist and Founder NCR Parents Association, said, “Ever since CBSE has announced the 10th and 12th Term 1 exams offline, the student and parents are in deep shock. The Health Minister of India announced today itself that Covid is not gone.
To reopen schools, almost all the state governments have given parents the option to teach their children online or offline. However, CBSE and ICSE boards are taking the exam only offline. For this, the Board, Education Minister, and all other related departments have been continuously informed through email, phone calls, Twitter, etc. However, there has been no discussion.”
A writ petition has been filed by Advocate Sumanth Nookla, in which it mentions giving both offline and online options to the students.
Sagar Gupta, also a member of the NCR Parents Association, said that in the coming days, a massive campaign will be launched on Social Media, asking for a change.
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