GUWAHATI: The state board exams for Classes X and XII are expected to be held between August 1 and 15 as the health department has refused to give its nod for the exams before July.
State education minister Ranoj Pegu chaired a high-level meeting with various stakeholders at the Assam secretariat on Tuesday where it was decided to skip the conventional mode of examination due to the pandemic situation.
“If we need to complete the examination process by September 5, the window period for conducting the exams is between August 1 and August 15.
I can only give a clear indication that the exams will be held during this period,” said Pegu.
He added that the modalities and time-table would be published soon.
The Union government has insisted on completing the entire exam process by September 5 to prevent any academic loss to students.
An official declaration in this regard will come within the next 10 days, he said.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s opinion is also going to be crucial before the final announcement is made.
“The state board exams won’t be held as per a conventional routine like in the past.
There would be fewer subjects and the total marks of papers may get curtailed.
The decision making process has reached the final stage and we will declare the decision in the next 10 days,” Pegu told the media after meeting senior government officials, representatives of the student bodies and teachers’ organizations.
The deputy commissioner of Kamrup (Metropolitan) district and a few other districts also attended the meeting.
The minister informed that though the state health department has apprised them that the Covid situation will improve in July, it won’t be a convenient time to conduct the boards as the virus threat would persist for a few more weeks.
Even though students may not be able to appear in all the subjects, the proposal from the stakeholders is to allot marks in the subjects to be left out based on the performance in the papers answered by an examinee.
Vaccination of most of the Class X and XII examinees will not be possible because they are below 18, but the minister said whoever comes in the 18-44 age category, as per documentary evidence, will be inoculated at the earliest.
“Starting from the exam invigilators, everyone involved with the exam process and are above 18 will be vaccinated on a priority basis.
Vehicle drivers and others will also be vaccinated,” Pegu said.
“ICMR has not yet recommended vaccines for the below 18 age group and that’s why we are extremely cautious,” he added.
The All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu), one of the key participants at the meeting, demanded the government to intimate the modalities of the exams and revised normalization formula for conducting the exams.
“This is an unusual situation.
We appeal to the government to conduct the board exams in a simplified manner.
The interests of the students must be safeguarded,” Aasu chief adviser, Samujjal Bhattacharyya, said.
Aasu and the All Bodo Students’ Union delegations will again meet Board of Secondary Education, Assam, and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council officials in the next few days to resolve certain pending issues.