New Delhi: Except for the national capital Delhi, all states on Sunday agreed to conduct CBSE, CISCE class 12 board exams 2021 amid ongoing pandemic, said reports after a high-level meeting of state Education Ministers and state Education Secretaries today. If reports are to be believed, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Education Portfolio asked the government to start vaccination for the class 12 students before conducting board exams. He asked the Centre to talk to Pfizer for the vaccination of Class 12 students.
“95% class 12 students are above the age of 17.5 years. The Centre should talk to experts if they can be given Covishield or Covaxin vaccines,” Sisodia raised the issue at the high-level meeting.
Conducting Class 12 board exams before vaccinating students a ‘Big Mistake’
Taking to Twitter, Sisodia stated that conducting Class 12 board exams before vaccinating students will prove to be a big mistake. “Raised the demand for making arrangements for vaccinating Class 12 students before board exams at a meeting with the central government. Conducting the examination by toying with students’ safety will prove to be a big mistake. First vaccine, then exams,” he tweeted in Hindi.
Holding Exams Amid Pandemic ‘Unfair’, ‘Insensitive’
Earlier in the day, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had also extended support to students demanding the cancellation of board examinations.
Expressing her disagreement with the CBSE’s proposal to conduct examinations for major subjects, Priyanka stated that it’s high time that India’s education system becomes “sensitive”. “I have said this before and am repeating it again. The mental health of children is as important as their physical well-being. It’s about time our education system incorporates sensitivity towards children’s well-being and starts taking these issues seriously,” she tweeted.
”Students studying for the CBSE 12th grade examinations have been sharing their concerns about these exams being held during the second wave of Covid – 19 pandemic. Their health and safety MATTERS. Why are we not learning our lessons? This wave has shown that children are vulnerable to new strains. In any case expecting children who are already under immense pressure to sit for their exams wearing all sorts of protective gear for hours at a stretch day after day is insensitive and unfair. Many of them are likely to have family members who are down with COVID too”,
Chhattisgarh Board to Conduct Exams From June 1
Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) has announced that it will conduct its Class 12 exams from June 1 in a ‘exam from home’ pattern in view of the pandemic.
Under this new pattern, the students will be given five days from June 1 to 5 to collect the question papers and blank answer sheets from the specified centres, take them home and submit the answer copies within five days, officials said. The announcement was made by CBSE secretary V K Goyal through an official order issued on late Saturday.