Tamil Nadu: Students and teachers demand cancellation of 12th exams following CBSE's declaration

COIMBATORE: After the Union government cancelled CBSE Class XII examinations in view of the pandemic situation, students and teachers in state-run schools want the government to follow suit.
“The last one month was very difficult. Initially when the public examination was postponed, I was happy because I thought I could use the time to prepare. But as Covid cases were high, I could not focus completely on studies. Even though I regularly attend online classes, I was really stressed and confused last month,” said S Swathi, a Class XII student.
“As I have no computer, I keep staring at the small screen of mobile phone to attend online classes and refer notes sent by teachers on WhatsApp, which is hurting my eyes. Following CBSE’s example, the government should cancel the examination,” she told TOI.
Students are struggling with depression and anxiety, said T Arulanantham, state auditor of the Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teachers Association. “Unlike the private school students, who have access to online education, many of the government school students, especially those from rural areas, did not have access to smart phones. More than half of the students did not attend online classes regularly. Even when schools were reopened, we had a lot of absentees and the government directed us not to compel them to visit schools due to the pandemic. It was particularly difficult to reach out to some students last month,” he said.
A few days ago, the chief educational officer (CEO’s) office directed schoolteachers to submit marks obtained by students in last seven examinations to assess their performance, the official said. “The government should cancel the examination and use such indicators to analyze their performance.”
S Arunan, president of Tamil Nadu Government Employees Teachers Welfare Association agreed. “Currently, we don’t know when Covid cases will come down. We can’t risk conducting exams any time soon. But if we delay it, the next academic year will be delayed. So, it is wise to cancel the exam.”