The government school students whose exams are yet to begin, especially those from non-board classes, are forced to sit on floors as the examinations of Punjab School Education Board’s (PSEB) classes 8 and 12 examinations began on Wednesday, leading to space crunch at schools assigned as exam centres.
Officials at schools that have been assigned as centres said they were put in a spot of bother, struggling to manage space and resources.
At a government senior secondary school (GSSS) in the district, non-board students had to sit on the floor during their revision and doubt-solving sessions as their desks were moved to rooms where board exams were being conducted. This was not an isolated incident and many schools across the district, and the state, found it difficult to manage with the available resources.
At the School of Eminence in Model Town, which already runs in two shifts to manage space crunch, 283 students from board classes appeared for exams.
“The exam timing clashed with both shifts, making it difficult to manage students. The first shift, which has students from nursery to Class 10, faced the most issues. A shortage of teachers compounded the issues as many of those available were assigned to invigilation duties,” said a teacher, requesting not to be named.
At the GSSS on Cemetery Road, a school that already accommodates 2,000 students in 22 classrooms, the authorities grappled to run things smoothly. School principal Charanjeet Kaur Ahuja said 10 classrooms were allotted for the exams, leaving limited space for other students. “As per examination norms, only 35 students can sit in a classroom. The roll numbers of examinees are marked on the desks. We can’t allow other students to use them as they might tamper with them. To manage space, we shifted Class 10 revision classes to the evening as their exams start on March 7,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}At the GSSS on Cemetery Road, a school that already accommodates 2,000 students in 22 classrooms, the authorities grappled to run things smoothly. School principal Charanjeet Kaur Ahuja said 10 classrooms were allotted for the exams, leaving limited space for other students. “As per examination norms, only 35 students can sit in a classroom. The roll numbers of examinees are marked on the desks. We can’t allow other students to use them as they might tamper with them. To manage space, we shifted Class 10 revision classes to the evening as their exams start on March 7,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}The story was no different at GSSS Basti Jodhewal, which was an exam centre for over 300 students. The school had to give the non-board students a day off as it already has 2,300 students, studying in double shifts.
Lecturer Cadre Union state finance secretary and district chief Dharamjeet Singh Dhillon urged the board to assign exam centres based on availability infrastructure. “The issue of inadequate furniture exists in many schools. As one desk is allotted to a single examinee, it creates problems in managing other students,” he said.
District education officer (DEO Secondary) Dimple Madan was not available for a comment.