Students divided over Class XII board exams

BHUBANESWAR: With the continuing uncertainty over the Class XII board exams, students and parents are in a spot. Many are against the idea of conducting exams when the Covid-19 situation is still at its worst, while some feel the government should think of alternative ways to conduct exams considering the importance of it in higher studies. Meanwhile, students said calculating Class XII marks on the basis of marks secured in the exams of classes XI and XII may not produce the expected results and is not a fair way of assessment.
“With Covid-19 still raging, a fear of infection is obvious if the government decides to go ahead with the board exams. But the government must explore options so that one year of students do not go to waste,” said Puja Mishra, a student of a city-based higher secondary school.
Even though the Centre had asked states to submit their proposals regarding the Class XII board exams, the Odisha government is yet to take any decision in this regard. Sources said the government is waiting for the decisions of the national school boards like the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). Meanwhile, the CISCE has asked all affiliated schools to send the scores of students in exams conducted in classes XI and XII.
“It will not be fair if the board calculates Class XII marks on the basis of performance of classes XI and XII. For the last one year schools remained closed and many students did not attend the exams properly. There are also chances of manipulation of marks by the respective schools. Moreover, students put extra efforts during final exams to score well,” said Avedya Patnaik, a Class XII student of a CISCE affiliated school.
The CBSE had proposed to conduct exams in major subjects and also to reduce the duration of exam, though the final decision in this regard will be taken on Tuesday.
Students are also divided over whether the board exam should be conducted or cancelled. While a group of students have been demanding cancellation fearing infection, others said cancellation will affect their admission in professional courses and higher education institutes.
“Cancelling the exam will ruin all the hard work we have put in for the last one year. The cancellation will also have an impact on other entrance examinations,” said Shiva Tripathy, a student.
Subodh Kumar Panda, a parent said, “The government must give a judicious and careful thought before taking a final decision on the exam. It is about the future of students.”