Stuck students in dilemma: Go back home or stick to study schedules

Mukbang Pertin, 23, a civil services aspirant in Delhi from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, is unsure if he should think about going back home or rather stay here and

Mukbang Pertin, 23, a civil services aspirant in Delhi from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, is unsure if he should think about going back home or rather stay here and focus on his studies. There is no clarity on when the next date of the exam he is preparing for will be announced after the nationwide lockdown was extended, with some relaxations, till May 17 on Friday. While many aspirants had left when the lockdown was announced initially, some like Pertin decided to stay back.

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As the government makes arrangements to send outstation students back home, a number of aspirants preparing for civil and state service and other competitive examinations, say they are in a fix. Most of them say that they have already registered for various examinations and going back now will only hamper their preparation and routine. Many said that had even joined online coaching classes in Delhi.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)-preliminary examination was scheduled to be held on May 31. However, on April 28, the government had announced that an in-principle decision has been taken to postpone the preliminary exam, but an official announcement will be made only after May 3. Pertin had registered for the test and was preparing for the exams.

A majority of students preparing for the medical entrance exam NEET and engineering exam JEE, who were staying at hostels of their respective coaching centres, have already left. According to officials of several coaching institutes, the hostels were vacated immediately after the Delhi government issued an order on March 12. The National Testing Agency — that conducts both NEET and JEE — has already postponed the exams till further orders in view of the raging Covid-19 pandemic.

“More than half the students living in rented rooms in my building had left initially. I don’t know if leaving for home now is a good idea. The government before making an announcement should come out with a clear notification of the exam schedule. It will affect our study routine. Even those who have gone back are not clear when and where the exams take place for which they have already registered,” said Pertin, who lives in a rented accommodation in Old Rajinder Nagar.

A large number of students preparing for union and state board exams live in different pockets of the city — like Mukherjee Nagar, Old Rajinder Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Munirka, Ber Sarai, Jia Sarai and Munirka — which have over the years become a hub for aspirants preparing for competitive examinations.

Prasun Kumar, 25, who lives in a paying guest accommodation in Mukherjee Nagar, said that except for very pressing issues — like failure to pay rent — students wouldn’t want to go home at this time as it was a crucial moment for the upcoming exams. Kumar, who is preparing for Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams, said that the CGL (a preliminary exam) had started around March 16 and was being held in phases. But only half the students could take the exam before it was postponed indefinitely on March 22 for the rest of the students.

“The students had stayed back for the exams. They don’t know now when will it be conducted again. Many of us are taking online classes for the main exams. Here we have WiFi connection and can focus on our studies. Back home, connectivity is a major issue. Also, going back without knowing the new schedule of exams will only cause anxiety and uncertainty,” said Kumar, who hails from Bihar’s Sirsa.

He added that some of his friends, who had gone back home early on, want to come back for lack of internet connectivity and not being able to focus on their studies.

“Going back and then coming again for the exams will disrupt the entire routine. Unless there is a clear notification from the government, going back is not a solution,” said Vinay Rana, 28, another student preparing for civil services, who lives in a rented accommodation in Ber Sarai. Rana hails from Himachal Pradesh.

A senior Delhi government official, who did not wish to be named, said that they are preparing the logistics for the movement of stranded students and others back to their hometowns. “We have kept students on priority and will ensure their interests are safeguarded. A set of rules is being prepared for the same,” the official said.