Assam Board Exam 2021: Days after the Assam government announced that it would hold the Class X and XII board examinations with a reduced number of subjects in August, the demand to cancel secondary and higher secondary exams grew louder. Students from Assam have knocked the Supreme Court’s door seeking the cancellation of class 10 and 12 board examinations. Filed by a group of students, the plea said that they are being forced to appear in the examinations amid a threat to their life. “In the interest of the safety of lakhs of students and their parents, it is better to cancel the exams. The government’s statement that Covid positivity rate below 2 per cent has no relevance”, the plea read.
This comes a week after Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu after holding meetings with all the stakeholders, including students’ bodies and teachers, told the media that around seven lakh students, who are scheduled to appear for the board exams this year, would be given the choice of papers and they would not have to appear for all the subjects. The minister had asserted that before holding the High School Leaving Certification (HSLC or Class X) and higher secondary (Class XII) examinations, all the invigilators and staff involved in the entire process would be vaccinated.
#CancelAssamBoardExam Trends on Twitter
Using the hashtag #CancelAssamBoardExam, scores of students took to Twitter and other social media platforms to amplify their demands.
“Why @HimantaBiswa and @ranojpegu are putting the students in dilemma? If the positivity rate comes below 2% that doesn’t mean that our students will get complete safety, we have a chance of getting affected at this stage also!”, a student wrote on Twitter as the exams are likely to be held between August 1 and August 15.
Mama you are our only hope, Please cancel exams🙏#CancelAssamBoardExams#MamaCancelExams@himantabiswa
— Sajin Aktar (@sajin_aktar) June 5, 2021
Wrote a letter to Hon'ble Education Minister, @mygovassam Shri @ranojpegu suggesting an evaluation methodology for SEBA/AHSEC Board 10th/12th candidates without conducting offline exams. In present scenario offline exam is neither feasible nor conducive. #CancelExamsSaveLives pic.twitter.com/LWUlpmkUpB
— Hannan Ahmed (@HannanAhmed_) June 2, 2021
Congress, NSUI Back Students’ Demands
Meanwhile, the Assam unit of the Congress party and NSUI also extended support to the students demanding the cancellation of the board exams. NSUI activists also staged a peaceful protest today showing placards. “We won’t allow the Assam government to play with the lives of students. Cancel exams ASAP”, the Students’ Union said.
In continuation of our statewide campaign #CancelAssamBoardExams, today Charaideo District NSUI activists staged a peaceful protest dharna by showing Placards. We won't allow the Assam Govt to play with the lives of students. Cancel exams ASAP ! pic.twitter.com/vNNchrheQ7
— NSUI Assam (@NSUIAssam) June 14, 2021
“The Assam Govt is playing with the lives of the students. The topmost university, colleges across India are going to start their admission process soon. But the Assam Govt is adamant on conducting the SEBA/AHSEC exam in the month of July/August amid the COVID,” Assam Congress wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, the Class X and XII exams were scheduled to start on May 12, but the government had to postpone it owing to the second wave of COVID-19. The HSLC exams are conducted by the Board of Secondary Education Assam (SEBA), while the higher secondary exams are held by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC).