Corona: Class 9 and 11 students stare at uncertainty

With schools and junior colleges in the state shut due to the coronavirus lockdown, students of classes 9 and 11, who are not exempt from exams, are staring at an

With schools and junior colleges in the state shut due to the coronavirus lockdown, students of classes 9 and 11, who are not exempt from exams, are staring at an uncertain future. Students of classes 1 to 8 won’t have to give their final exams this year and would be promoted on the basis of their previous grades.

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Schools stated that since the board exams started from February 18 they didn’t get time to teach and syllabus for most classes is pending completion. “Most schools are centres for HSC and SSC exams. When exams begin, schools usually work half days as there is no space to accommodate the examinees along with school students. Thus, very little teaching happens during this time. While most schools usually finish their syllabus by March, this time it was not possible as they were shut owing to the Covid-19 disease,” said Sudam Kumbhar, principal, Shailendra High school in Dahisar. The state education department announced shutting of schools in the state from March 16.

Teachers said testing students when the syllabus is incomplete would be unfair. “The government needs to come up with a solution to ensure that students are not put under stress. Moreover, since there has been a long holiday period and there will be more such days students tend to forget what has been taught. While big schools can facilitate e-learning, smaller ones cannot as many of their students do not have access to a smartphone or the internet,” said a teacher of a school in Andheri.

Junior college teachers have also expressed concerns over exams for class 11, considering that the class’ syllabus has changed only this year. “There is hardly any study material available,” said a parent of a class 11 student.