The Education Department is unlikely to act on a memorandum submitted by Plus Two students demanding that their final examinations, now scheduled to begin on March 17, be put off.
A group of 36 students, some of them pursuing science courses and studying in Kozhikode schools, had written to the Education Minister, Director General of Education, and the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in recent days. Due to the pandemic situation classes were held online.
Their letter pointed out that only five lessons in Chemistry were taught between June and November, and the remaining 11 were finished off between December and January. Likewise in Physics, only four lessons were taught between June and December and the remaining 11 were wound up in January. In Mathematics, four lessons were taught till November and nine lessons between December and January. Only two lessons each were taught in Botany and Zoology till November. The remaining five and six lessons, respectively, were taught in two months.
Tight schedule
One parent from Kozhikode told The Hindu on Monday that the schedule of examinations too did not give any breathing space for the students. “Biology examination is on March 17, Hindi is on March 18, and Chemistry is on March 19. The examinations are scheduled to end on March 29. If the Chemistry examination is put off to March 31, it will be helpful because the students will get a day’s break,” he added.
Another parent said that the classes on Victers Channel were often “fast forward sessions” where teachers just read out lessons and finished them. The Central Board of Secondary Education examinations for Plus Two classes are scheduled only in May.
Sources in the Education Minister’s office said that the priority now was to hold the examinations on time. “Unless there is some other exigency, they are unlikely to be postponed,” they said.
Meanwhile, sources in the Kerala Commission for Protection of Child Rights, who also got a petition from the students, said if there were many petitions on the issue, they would be sorted out and forwarded to the Higher Secondary section for its response.
