Authorities from the School Education Department have been discussing with experts from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) since last week to seek their opinion on whether the Class 12 exam could be held on May 3. A senior official from the School Education Department, seeking anonymity said, health experts have advised the government to be cautious with regard to conducting the exams to ensure safety of the students and teachers. 

“After consulting DPH authorities, series of meetings were held with all the District Education Officers (DEO) to take stock of the pandemic situation in their respective areas. The DEOs said that parents were afraid of sending their children not only for board exams but also for classes,” the official said. 

During the discussion with DEOs, different opinions emerged while a few officials opined that the exams could be postponed while others were firm on holding the exams on schedule. 

Pointing out that the Class 12 board exam schedule was less than 25 days away, the official added that authorities, who were closely monitoring the current situation, were willing to wait for a few more days to see if the cases would reduce after fresh restrictions imposed by the government. 

Tamil Nadu Teachers Association president P K Ilamaran said that as the government has imposed new lockdown restrictions, it should also look into whether the exams could be postponed not only to ensure the safety of the students but also to allay the fears of the parents. S Arumainathan, president, Tamil Nadu Parents-Teachers Association (TNPTA) said that most parents did not want the Class 12 exams from May 3 amid the second wave.