Pandemic situation not ripe to hold exams
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 25 , 2021 -

LACK of consensus during the high-level meeting held on Sunday in New Delhi to deliberate on conduct of Class 12 exams and entrance examinations for professional courses sums up the gravity of the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country.

From the national perspective, the number of infection has indeed been declining encouragingly for the past few days, but the fact remains that India is still registering the highest number of positive cases and deaths every day.

Moreover, with the exception of Daman, Diu & Dadra and Andaman & Nicobar union territories where the active cases are in the lower half of hundreds, all other states have thousands of patients undergoing treatment.

Thus, amid such grave situation, the high-level meeting ending inconclusively but deciding to direct the states and UTs to examine the matter and send their feedback to Centre in writing by May 25 was not surprising.

Both parents and students may be rueing the ill-fate brought about by the pandemic but it is understandable that the ministry of education won't rush to schedule the examination at this juncture for containing further spread of the contagion and preventing fatalities in the country merit topmost priority.

There seems to be no significant difference between the first and the second wave of the pandemic vis-a-vis the education sector if one recounts that decision to resume normal academic chores was taken at the national and regional level only after most of the sectors were gradually reopened when the pandemic situation showed signs of stabilising in the latter part of year 2020.

Nevertheless, around October last, the states and union territories were advised by the Centre to take a call on whether or not to bring back the students to the classroom.

While some major states swiftly resumed the conventional teaching and learning process, Manipur had a semblance of normalcy in educational institutions with resumption of classes at the college and higher secondary level only around January.

Subsequent to improvement in the pandemic situation, admission and examination processes were initiated for all levels and students in lower and middle sections availed education in the real sense.

However, outbreak of the second wave brought an abrupt end to the classroom teaching and led to deferment of the calendar examinations.

Now that the consultative meeting with the states and UTs has ended with the Centre assuring to examine the suggestions received from the various state governments and to intimate further course of action within June 1, states like Manipur, which is currently in the vicious grip of the pandemic, would be in a tight spot to take a call on the ministry's directive.

In view of the ministry suggesting that the states and the Union Territories may examine the matter and send their feedback in writing by May 25, the government of Manipur must be candid enough to admit that holding the examination under the existing situation would amount to endangering the lives of the future pillars of the society.

Rather, the education ministry's conveyance should be taken advantage of to highlight the ground reality besieging the state and its people.