As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage school examinations are being cancelled across the country. On June 1, the government has decided to cancel the CBSE Class 12 board exams, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking to Twitter to make the announcement. He asserted that the decision has been taken in the interest of students and that the anxiety among students, parents and teachers must be put to an end.
Others quickly followed suit, with the CISCE as well as various state boards opting to let students finish their schooling without actually giving the final exam. As of Thursday afternoon, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarakhand have all cancelled the Class 12 board exams. Others still, including Karnataka and Odisha continue to mull the possibility.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it was happy to note that the government has cancelled the class 12 board exams, and directed the CBSE and CICSE to place on record well-defined objective criteria for assessment of students in two weeks. The bench clarified that it will not give more time for placement of objective criteria as many students will be taking admissions in colleges in India and abroad. The top court said that it will go through the objective parameters for assessment of marks, so that if anyone has objections they can be dealt with.
And while some voice concerns about the possible ramifications, others are busy rejoicing. Twitter has been flooded with memes as countless individuals turn to Bollywood films and pop culture to convey their feelings - be it Sanjay Dutt's Murli Prasad 'Munna Bhai' Sharma or a meme of former President Barack Obama awarding himself a medal.
There were however some concerning tweets, that took a dismal view of the future. Several netizens took it upon themselves to highlight the potentially problematic lives of those who will enter the job market without having passed their class 12 exams.
Take a look at some of the other posts: