The Indian National Congress' student-wing, National Students Union of India (NSUI) sat on a dharna in front of the Ministry of Education's office in Delhi demanding that physical examinations for Class 12 students be cancelled and students be promoted on the basis of their performance in internal assessments which have been conducted around eight times.
"We are not asking them to cancel the exams completely. We are asking them to promote the students on the basis of their internal assessment. The students have proved their mettle around eight times throughout the year including pre-boards, class tests, practicals and more. Is there a need for them to prove themselves again, especially amid a pandemic?" asked Lokesh Chugh, National Secretary, NSUI. The protestors organised a sit-n , fully-clad in PPE, in front of the ministry.
“These are desperate times and desperate times call for desperate measures. There might be students who are already suffering from COVID or the students who might be in trauma of having their family members infected. We don’t know if these students will be in a condition to appear for the exam at all. The government must look for an alternative formula to grade the students as soon as possible," said NSUI National President Neeraj Kundan.
The NSUI also said that the student community is under a lot of uncertainty and stress so in these times physical examination is not the correct solution. The Ministry of Education is set to announce its final decision on June 1. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is also hearing a plea to cancel the Class 12 exams. The next hearing is on Monday.
