All the major universities in Kerala, on Sunday, had postponed their examinations scheduled to be held on April 19. The examinations are postponed until further orders considering a surge in fresh COVID cases in the state. The universities that have postponed their examinations include APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Kerala University, Calicut University, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kochi, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Kerala University of Health Sciences, Malayalam University and Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.
However, who deserves the credit for this postponement? This has been a fresh debate among the student circles in Kerala now. A majority of the students' unions in the state are ruled by the CPM's students' wing Students' Federation of India (SFI). However, the organisation was criticised by the Congress' students' wing Kerala Students' Union (KSU) for staying mum for the longest of time in the matter, even when the cases started rising in the state.
This was when Shashi Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram and a senior Congress leader sent a representation to Arif Mohammed Khan, the Kerala Governor on Sunday, asking him to use his power as the chancellor of the universities and postpone the exams. "With Kerala reporting 13,000 + new Covid cases, it is irresponsible that the 6th Semester B.A/B.Sc exams of Kerala University are still scheduled from 19th April. Could the University and Govt please postpone or cancel these exams?" he tweeted on Saturday. "The same is true of Calicut University and Kerala Technological University. Our administrators should be more sensible, but otherwise, the Governor should intervene and help save lives. Crowded exam halls are simply dangerous to students as #Covid cases mount daily," he added. Following the same, he had sent a representation to Khan on Sunday.
Hours later, the governor's office had announced the postponement of the examination. Soon, social media was filled with memes from students, praising Tharoor. Responding to this, Tharoor tweeted, "I seek no credit at all. The decision was the Governor's to make. I am glad to be able to alert him to the issue and persuade him to address the concerns of students and parents. A pleasure to help!"
