Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal are among the opposition leaders who’ve urged the central government to cancel the exams.
Amid demands to cancel the Class 10 and 12 board exams because of the massive Covid spike across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today hold a meeting to discuss the same.
The Prime Minister will meet with Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” and top officials at noon.
In month of February, when daily Covid cases in India had dropped to fewer than 15,000, the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) had said that the Class 10 and 12 exams will begin May 4 and all exams will be held in the offline-written mode.
However, the cases of infection have seen unprecedented rise lately, with the country today reporting 1,84,372 new coronavirus infections in the highest single-day rise so far, and 1,027 deaths.
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal are among the opposition leaders who’ve urged the central government to cancel the exams and prevent millions of students from being exposed to infection.
Pointing to the alarming rise in virus cases in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said, “Six lakh students in the city will appear for board exams. One lakh teachers will be on duty. Conducting board exams can lead to largescale spread of coronavirus… alternative methods of assessment can be explored. Students can be promoted on basis of either online exams or internal assessment. The board exams should be cancelled.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also voiced the same concern, asking the centre to consult with all stakeholders before making “sweeping” decisions.
“In the light of the devastating Corona second wave, conducting #CBSE exams must be reconsidered. All stakeholders must be consulted before making sweeping decisions. On how many counts does (the government) intend to play with the future of India’s youth,” Mr Gandhi said.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stressed that it would be “downright irresponsible” of boards like the CBSE to force students to sit for the exams in the circumstances. “Board exams should either be cancelled, rescheduled or arranged in a manner that does not require the physical presence of children at crowded exam centres,” she wrote last week.
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