98% appear for CBSE exam, but shadow of violence looms

NEW DELHI: Class 12 student Mohammad Kaif’s dream is to be a doctor. He was preparing for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations when violence hit his north-east Delhi neighbourhood of Mustafabad, forcing his family to flee to their village in Uttar Pradesh.

On Monday, he had to give his physics exam. But fear prevented his family from allowing him to return and give the exam.

“We fled to our village on the same day when a neighbour was killed by a mob in our area. My family is very scared. They are even thinking of shifting permanently to the village. I am just hoping I can give the next exam scheduled for March 7. I don’t know how I will give my medical entrance exam without completing the class 12 exams on time,” 18-year-old Kaif told HT over phone.

Kaif was among the 2% students who did not appear for the CBSE class 12 physics and class 10 music exams on Monday in north-east Delhi.

The area had witnessed largescale communal violence over the last week. In lieu of this, the Board had postponed exams scheduled for last week, but decided to stick to the schedule from Monday arguing that any further delay would affect those aspiring for different professional courses. The Board, however, had announced that it will give another opportunity to students from north-east Delhi who could not give the exams from when the violence broke.

While many of the students who missed Monday’s exam had fled their homes, some were too scared to step out to give the exam.

Owais Malik, 18, a resident of Indira Vihar, said he had been traumatised since he saw a man being beaten up by a group of people near his house on last Tuesday. “I am not being able to concentrate on my studies. I cannot forget that scene. I do not know if I will give the next exam as well. I might appear in the next chance the CBSE is planning to give in north-east Delhi,” he said.

At Gyandeep Vidya Bhawan School in Yamuna Vihar, 22 students missed the exam on Monday. Seema Gupta, head of the school (HoS), said, “We have informed the native schools of these children to trace them. Majority of them are enrolled through distant learning mode.”