Schools in Tamil Nadu finally reopened on January 19 after a long nine-month break and teachers and students are already worrying about exams. The teachers are not so much worrying about the students’ performance in the exams than the place in which the students will be performing. The teachers are asking for the government to take more measures to ensure students are safe during the pandemic while writing their exams.

The Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Association has requested the government to not force students to travel long distances to exam centres and to allow them to write the exams in their own campuses. “Tenth and twelfth standard students will be coming from government, government-aided, matriculation and private schools will be together in the exam room. This could make it difficult for social distancing norms to be followed. Even if one student is infected, it could endanger everyone,” the teachers said. The Department of Examinations requested schools for the student nominal troll in order to assign examination roll numbers to students. 

The teachers said that students from all the different schools in the exam rooms could be infected, “Schools are located at a maximum distance of 7 kms to 12 kms and this could also impact students. So we request the Chief Minister to protect students by allowing students to write in the exam centres in their own schools' campuses.”

The teachers also appreciated the government for taking various initiatives to make the students’ return to campus easy, including the decision of a special question bank book for students attempting the board exams this year.