No exams without vaccine, prepare for next year now: Sisodia writes to Centre

New Delhi: Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday urged the Centre to hold a high-level meeting by next month to discuss school and competitive exams scheduled next year, saying in view of the current situation arising out of Covid-19 pandemic, governments must “start preparing early”

New Delhi: Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday urged the Centre to hold a high-level meeting by next month to discuss school and competitive exams scheduled next year, saying in view of the current situation arising out of Covid-19 pandemic, governments must “start preparing early”.

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In a letter to the Union education ministry, Sisodia reiterated Delhi government’s stand that Class 12 Central Board of Secondary Education exams should not be conducted until all students and teachers are vaccinated.

“I request the Centre to hold a high-level meeting within one month to discuss the exams scheduled to take place in 2022. Keeping all aspects of the situation in mind, we should begin preparations now,” Sisodia wrote.

Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, said if the students and teachers cannot be vaccinated, the exams must by scrapped immediately. He suggested the students can be evaluated on the basis of their performance in Class 10, 11 and 12 (internal tests) examinations.

“If the vaccination option is not feasible currently, then we recommend that the board exams this year be scrapped. Class 12 students have spent at least 12 years in our schools. Students should be evaluated on their previous performance in Class 10 board results, Class 11 marks, and the internal tests in Class 12, and get their results immediately,” Sisodia wrote, adding that those who wish to appear for the board exams can do so when the situation is conducive.

The Centre had organised a digital meeting of state education ministers and secretaries on Sunday to decide on the Class 12 board exams and subsequent entrance examinations that were postponed from March-April due to the second wave of Covid-19 across the country. The meeting was chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh and attended by three Union ministers including education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

The Centre offered two proposals to states on conducting exams only in major subjects – either in regular format at designated centres or a multiple choice question-type paper with shorter duration and at schools where the students are enrolled. It asked the states to come up with their suggestions by Tuesday.

On Tuesday, at least a dozen states said on Tuesday that they preferred the second option to conduct the exams. Among them were Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Delhi and Punjab also preferred the second option, but said the exams should be conducted only after all teachers and students were vaccinated.

Emphasising that India was still reporting nearly 250,000 Covid-19 cases every day and the apprehensions over an impending third wave, Sisodia wrote, “..Neither of the two options given by the Union ministry of education is not the answer for the challenge ahead of us. Not only will the students be at risk in both the options, the choices also ignore their mental health.”

“We believe that without vaccination, children should not be called for any examination. Following vaccination, the ministry of education should conduct exams as per Option B,” he wrote.

Sisodia also suggested that the Centre should talk to health experts and see if the vaccines for 18-45 years age group can be given to Class 12 student, are mostly around 17.5 years of age. “If health experts agree, then these students, which constitute around 95% of Class 12 students, can be vaccinated on priority,” he wrote.

“Centre should immediately hold talks with Pfizer and buy vaccines approved for children above 12 years of age,” he minister wrote, adding that if Centre and state governments work together, Class 12 teachers and students across India would be inoculated within three to four weeks.

Most Delhi schools on Monday said they want the exams cancelled and would choose option with multiple choice questions, if the government decides to go ahead with conducting board exams.

Madhulika Sen, senior adviser at Tagore International School, said that neither parents nor the teachers were in favour of holding exams. “Maybe the government is considering to hold physical exams considering the drop in cases. But what about the third wave or the increase in black fungus cases? We don’t know what the situation will be in July,” she told HT on Monday.

On Sunday, after the meeting with state ministers, Nishank tweeted: “I want to reiterate that both students’ and teachers’ safety, security, and future are supremely important to us.”