Over 7.5 lakh students wait with bated breath, govt yet to decide
Parents’ body urges to cancel exams on the lines of CBSE, CISCE; JAC seeks principals’ opinion on conducting safe exams amid the pandemic
RANCHI: More than 7.5 lakh board examinees of classes 10 (matric) and 12 (intermediate) were in catch-22 situation, as the state government was yet to take any decision on Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) board examinations.
While students demand the government to clear the dilemma, parents’ body has urged to cancel the examinations on the line of other educational boards such as Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE).
CBSE on Tuesday announced
to cancel board exams of Class 12, while it has already cancelled the same for Class 10. The CISCE has also declared the same on line of CBSE.
However, the JAC, which is responsible to conduct the Class 10 and 12 examinations, seemed to be ignorant about the fate of the exams as it has not made any announcement in this regard. Earlier, the JAC postponed the examinations twice in wake of Covid-19 situation in the state.
The council said at the time that they will release a fresh schedule after reviewing the situation on June 1.
JAC chairperson Arvind Prasad Singh said on Wednesday, “We cannot decide whether examinations will be conducted. The decision needs to be taken by the government and we will follow it.”
Poonam Kumar, a student of Class 10 at Adarsh Vidya Niketan in Dhanbad, said, “The current
dilemma over the examinations is taking toll on our preparations. The government should clear it. If examinations will be held, we will prepare for it accordingly. If not, then we will focus on preparation for higher classes.”
Another student Manish Kumar of Class 12 at a government high school in Ranchi expressed similar views. “Central board and most state boards have cleared their stands. But,
Jharkhand government is still waiting. It should consider the mental status of the students,” he said.
More than 4.31 lakh students were expected to appear for matric examinations, while over 3.32 lakh students are likely to take intermediate examinations this year.
Meanwhile, when contacted, state school education and literacy department secretary Rajesh Sharma said, “The CBSE took the decision to cancel the exams on Tuesday evening. We are waiting for the detailed procedure it is going to adopt to promote the students. Once the details come, we will take our decision. Meanwhile,
we are also doing our internal assessment in this regard.”
JAC, however, sought opinion of headmasters and other officials concerned on conducting safe examinations amid the pandemic. The council also sought suggestions on examination hours and centres in case examinations are conducted, officials said.
General secretary of state parents’ body, Jharkhand Abhibhawak Mahasangh (JAM), Manoj Mishra said, “Keeping in mind the impact of coronavirus disease and lives of students, Jharkhand government should immediately cancel both board examinations on line of CBSE and CISCE. The delay in announcement is causing stress on students.”
The state unit of Congress also demanded the Hemant Soren government to cancel the examinations. Party spokesperson Alok Dubey said, “We welcome the decision of CBSE and CISCE and demand the Jharkhand government to cancel the examinations for the sake of students and their parents during Covid-19 period.”
We cannot decide whether exams will be conducted. The decision needs to be taken by the govt...
ARVIND PRASAD SINGH, JAC chairperson