Boarding school kids to face travel hurdle

NEW DELHI : The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is increasing the number of exam centres from 3,000 to 13,000 to make sure the students who sit for their class 10 and 12 board exams get the centre of their choice, but there is one section of students that may still have to travel hundreds of miles before reaching the venue – those studying in residential schools.

As the government announced the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, thousands of students who study in boarding schools across the country returned home.

Now, as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise, these students and their parent and guardians are in a dilemma . CBSE has said students of boarding schools will appear for the class 10 and class 12 exams in their respective schools. That means some will travel hundreds of miles to take these tests. And schools have to make quarantine arrangements once the students come back to the campus .

Significantly, 661 residential schools, the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, are run by the HRD ministry itself. Most of these schools are situated in rural areas. Under the present norms, many class 12 students of these and other schools will be forced to undertake such long winding trips from June 15 to be eligible to sit for exams which begin on July 1. The ordeal could prove tougher for students who will have to sit immediately for their NEET or JEE exams a week later.

When contacted, a senior CBSE official said that the board has received representations from different schools and is looking into all of them. An HRD ministry official added that “the ministry and CBSE are aware of the issues and attempts will be made to provide solutions.”

“If students come all the way they will have to quarantine, which means they will have to stay minimum fifteen days before the exam. Coming all the way is difficult and even parents are under stress, they fear sending their children across. These are factors. But as far as the school is concerned, all possible arrangements can be made because they are after all our children. But we definitely need guidelines about the stay in the hostel. We are awaiting those guidelines,” said Shakuntala Jaiman, Principal of Delhi’s Colonel Satsangi’s Kiran Memorial School, which has several of students who have to appear for class 12 exam.

Meanwhile, an HRD ministry official said: “MHRD and CBSE are aware of the issue and will take a decision in the interest of the students. MHRD is always committed to ensure the safety and academic welfare of the students”.

Last week, HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced the CBSE would be holding exams in 13,000 and not just 3,000 centres as this would help students who would otherwise have to travel long distances.

“This problem for the residential schools and their students is genuine. Young students, their parents and school authorities should not be burdened with additional anxieties during these uncertain corona times. With vast infrastructure available to the CBSE , and since there are still 5 weeks for exams to begin, students may be given the options in their hometowns in centres nearest to their homes,” said eminent educationist and former UGC member Dr Inder Mohan Kapahy.

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This problem for the residential schools and their students is genuine. Young students, their parents and school authorities should not be burdened with additional anxieties during these tough times...

DR INDER MOHAN KAPAHY, former UGC member