Parents: Move to hold Class X exam is uninformed

PANAJI: A group of parents have written to the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education as well as to chief minister Pramod Sawant, expressing their anxiety over the decision to conduct the board exams during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The parents have asked the government to reconsider the decision, and instead explore measures like reduction of exam duration, using objective-type multiple choice questions and even an online examination.
“We are keen that the education process and the progress of academic and educational pursuits must continue, and that the same should not be delayed. However, we are equally concerned that the present methods expose students to unnecessary and avoidable risks, and we greatly fear the risk of infection with the Covid-19 contagion,” the letter states.
The parents have asked for a detailed study first on what precaution and containment measures are required to be followed in such circumstances. They have called the current decision to have the exam from May 21 ‘uninformed’.
“There are apparently no detailed and scientifically prepared instructions issued, protocols or guidelines/measures specified in the circular of the Goa Board dated May 7 , on the course of action that would be adopted if the nationwide lockdown comes to be extended beyond May 17 and/or the status of Goa or any part of Goa comes to be altered from a green zone to an orange zone, red zone or containment zone,” the letter states.
The high-risk environment in which the exam is held could possibly affect the students mentally and affect their performance, it adds.