Students writing the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams and their parents are in a Catch-22 situation. In addition to study and exam pressure, there is a new challenge at hand — the traffic jams in Bengaluru, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
Naveen K (name changed), a parent said, “My son’s centre is in Lumbini Gardens and my house is in Rajajinagar. To ensure that he reaches on time (10 am), we leave home at 7 am to avoid traffic. I am under extreme pressure. My son is also stressed as he worries whether he will reach on time. It is better if the exam timings are changed.”
Similar is the worry of Yashika K (name changed), another parent. She said her son was late by five minutes to the exam centre because of the traffic situation. He was allowed to write the exam, but with a stern warning.
Parents have now started making calls to the CBSE office and writing to them requesting change in exam timings. However, the CBSE regional office in Bengaluru sent an email to the principals of CBSE-affiliated schools. The letter has been emailed by the educational institutions to all parents.
The letter reads: “As the CBSE Board Examination is going on, this office is getting telephonic calls regarding late reporting of students for appearing in the respective centres after the scheduled time. It has been clearly mentioned that no candidate would be allowed to enter the examination centre after 10 am and therefore must reach before time. You are requested to inform the students/parents about the time schedule and accordingly may direct them to plan or schedule activities for reaching centres in time. The Board will not be responsible for any inconvenience caused to the candidate due to late arrival.”
Vibha S, a parent, said: “I know some parents of students who have passed out of school who would book hotel rooms to beat traffic stress. This had stopped during the pandemic and I thought post-pandemic the situation had changed with a better traffic management system being put in place. But that is not true. The situation is bad during peak hours. Now, even I am planning to book a room in a lodge as travelling for long distances during peak hours is challenging.”
A senior traffic police official, however, claimed that the traffic situation has improved in many parts of the city. While admitting that there are some bottleneck points, he advised parents to start early.
