PremiumThe college admission councils should make allowances for students who wish to get off the conveyor belt of education till the world is safe again. India’s new National Education Policy, after all, is bullish on academic flexibility
Given India’s worsening covid situation, the government has decided to cancel the Central Board of Secondary Education’s Class X examinations and postpone those for Class XII, both of which were to start next month. A meeting to decide on a revised exam schedule will be held on 1 June, the Centre said.
The move should ease the anxiety of students and parents who face the unfair dilemma of opting for either safety vis-a-vis the pandemic or the timely acquisition of an educational certificate that’s considered a vital rite of passage. Unlike in the West, where taking a year’s break from studies (for travel or other pursuits) is encouraged, a year dropped in India is usually seen as a deviation that one needs to explain, unfortunately. This is to be done in sheepish tones, often, as it’s seen as a sign of academic inadequacy. Such attitudes need to change, especially now with covid-19 having wreaked havoc on schooling. Pushing school-leaving exams forward is a good idea. But college admission councils should make allowances for students who wish to get off the conveyor belt of education till the world is safe again. India’s new National Education Policy, after all, is bullish on academic flexibility.
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