The postponement of stage 2 of the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) in the wake of coronavirus outbreak has left many Class 10 students disappointed as they were preparing for the exam after they cleared the stage1 exam in February this year.
The exam, which was earlier scheduled to be held on May 10, is conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The new date will be soon intimated by the NCERT.
From Ludhiana, 25 students (including two government school students) have cleared stage 1 of the NTSE exam. “The lockdown has been extended by the government till May 3 and we don’t know about when the authorities will conduct the exams. In fact, the lockdown can even be extended further,” the two students said.
Ektapreet Kaur, 15, a student of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bharat Nagar, said, “I have been preparing for both (board and competitive) exams for the last two months. I get a lot of time for preparation as the school is closed. I feel dejected as the competitive exam has also been postponed. Nevertheless, health should be given the top priority and so staying at home is the right step to combat the virus.”
“I have been spending three hours daily to revise the concepts of Class 10 board exams. I devote two hours during the evenings to prepare for the competitive exam”, she added.
{{/usCountry}}“I have been spending three hours daily to revise the concepts of Class 10 board exams. I devote two hours during the evenings to prepare for the competitive exam”, she added.
{{/usCountry}}However, Parneet Kaur ,15, a student of Government Senior Secondary School, Hargobindpura, said, “Despite the school being closed and board exams having been postponed, I am in contact with my schoolteachers and prepare for the competitive exam.”
“Though I am upset that the competitive exam has been postponed, I am glad that I have now got more time to prepare for this exam and become eligible for the scholarship,” added Kaur, who belongs to Dully village.
Yuval Goyal, a student of Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, scored 185 out of 200 (the highest marks in the district) in the stage 1 exam. He said, “I have opted for the non-medical stream and online classes have been started by the school authorities. I was expecting to get free after appearing for the stage 2 exam on May 10. Now, if the council will conduct the exam in June, I will be burdened with studies as the syllabus of Class 11 is already vast.”
Last year, 5,322 students from Ludhiana appeared for the NTSE held on November 3.
Students who will clear the stage 2 of NTSE will become eligible for an annual scholarship of ₹15,000 (₹1,250 per month) for two years (classes 11 and 12) and ₹2,000 per month at the undergraduate level.