The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday asked the state government to reconsider its decision to conduct board examinations for Class 10 and 12 students. Several petitions have been filed seeking cancellation of the board exams due to the surge in COVID-19 cases. The court heard the matter on Friday, and directed the state government to submit an affidavit by May 3, the date fixed for the next hearing.
The intermediate second year or Class 12 board exams are scheduled to commence from May 5, while the Class 10 board examinations are to begin on June 14.
Noting that 30 lakh students and teaching staff are stakeholders in the exercise, the court demanded to know how the state government intends to organise exams for Covid-affected students. With several state boards, the CBSE and the ICSE having cancelled or postponed examinations, the court directed the state government to reconsider its decision.
On its part, the state government argued that the board exams are being held keeping in mind students' interests and future in mind.
The YS Jaganmohan Reddy government said on Wednesday that it intends to hold the board exams. The state government has insisted that the exams are important because if they are not conducted, students will be at a disadvantage in the future as they will only be given a pass certificate. On April 28, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that students of Andhra Pradesh, if given a mere pass certificate, will be unable to compete with students from other states who have higher marks during admissions to colleges.
However, several quarters have called for the cancellation of exams, including the opposition Telugu Desam Party, due to the risk involved for students, their parents, and teachers. TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is risking the lives of millions of students, teachers, and parents with his decision to conduct the exams during the prevailing COVID-19 crisis.
“These students have already been subject to an unprecedented set of pressures, studying and suffering under the shadow of a deadly pandemic. We must not further push them into a risk that has been all too familiar since March 2020. The Chief Minister was on record saying that these exams are being conducted to guard the future of students to compete with the rest of India. But this logic is faulty considering that most other states have either postponed or cancelled exams for their Class 10 and Class 12 students,” Lokesh said.