Parents, teachers and students reject Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal to cancel CBSE board exams 

NEW DELHI:  Most parents, teachers and students in Delhi appear to oppose the appeal made by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the Centre to cancel the CBSE board exams amid a spike in Covid cases. They say while health is important, the exams can be held with strict SOPs in place. 

The Delhi CM on Tuesday urged the Centre to cancel CBSE board exams and consider alternatives to ensure the students’ safety. He said six lakh students will appear for exams and one lakh teachers will be involved in the examination process. The exam centres could thus become Covid hotspots. 

A parent of a Class XII student studying in Laxman Public School, Hauz Khas, said: “Anxiety has gripped the students and parents are worried about the children’s health. But, cancelling exams and introducing alternatives are not a solution.” 

He said alternative measures are just not possible. “My daughter is in Class XII and she wants to write the exam as she has been working hard for the last one year. Given the surge in Covid cases, the exams can only be postponed. The government should focus on stricter SOP for the safety of students and increase the number of exam centres,” said the parent.

Another parent, Sanjeev Bansal, said, “When the situation was worse, the government had said ‘Humen ab corona k sath jeena sikhna padega’ (we’ll have to learn to live with corona). Just look around — cinemas and restaurants are functioning and elections are going on. Exams for Classes X and XII are major milestones in a child’s academic career. So exams should not be cancelled.” 

He suggested that the number of exam centres should be increased and the exams conducted in schools where students are enrolled. Invigilators can come from other places. This will help both parents and students as the schools will be walking distance from their homes.  Students and teachers said it would be injustice to the students if exams are cancelled. Ranjesh, another Class X student of Government Boys School, echoed the views. He said the government could at best postpone the exams but shouldn’t cancel exams.