"When the state government has not yet decided to open schools and colleges until the COVID-19 situation subsides, how can 9 lakh students, 2 lakh teachers, and thousands of non-teaching staff be forced to risk their lives by attending the Class X Board Exams from June 15th? questioned a Division Bench of the Madras High Court.
While hearing a case against the Tamil Nadu’s government’s decision to conduct Class X exams from June 15th, the Bench comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and R Suresh Kumar wanted to know why there is a hurry in conducting exams amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state. The Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers Association had approached the court seeking to prevent the state government from conducting the Class X Board Exams, which is scheduled to start from 15th June.
The petitioner stated that the decision to conduct the Board Exams from mid-June was taken in the month of May and it might have been under the impression that the COVID-19 the situation would improve in the state. It was also stated that there were over 12,000 examination centers for Class X exams, thus indicating the manpower required amid the prevailing scenario where Tamil Nadu has seen 31,667 total COVID-19 cases, of which 14,396 are active. The state has also been seeing a daily increase of over 1,000 cases for the past week.
The Additional Advocate General responded saying that there appeared to be a meeting between the Chief Minister of the state and the School Education Minister regarding the same.
The court asked if there was any outcome from the meeting, adding that any decision on postponement of exams must be taken immediately without keeping parents and students on tenterhooks.
The bench also lashed out at the state government, highlighting that conducting the lass X exams was unlike the re-opening of the TASMAC (state-run liquor outlets) during the lockdown. “Can the state government give an undertaking that no student will get infected by COVID-19 if it is allowed to conduct the 10th-grade board exams from June 15th?” the bench questioned.
Stating that it is well and good if the Tamil Nadu government itself postpones the exams without letting the Damocles Sword hanging over the students' heads till the eleventh hour.
The High Court is to hear the case against Class X exams again later in the day and seek the response of the state government, however, the court has already said that it is Prima facie satisfied that the government's decision to conduct board exams from June 15th must be stayed.