And so we spoke to parents, teachers and students across the country, asking what they think about the boards being conducted offline in centres. 

They cancelled a couple of exams last year with lesser cases. So it makes complete sense to cancel these exams as we’ve had online classes throughout the year and it’s still unsafe.

-Arnav Mardia, Student

I think it’s absolutely unfair that they’d put these exams over our health. So many people live with their grandparents, and not all of them are vaccinated. We’ve barely studied and they know that, we’re just writing boards for the sake of it and we didn’t learn anything all year. 

-Sajani, Student

It’s scary and I feel like there are better ways to go about this. The cases are worse than ever and it’s really not ideal to have the exams in centres.

-Abishek Bhatia, Student

I feel it’s quite dangerous, they say they’re gonna take all the safety precautions, but even with precautions it can spread. The best way to prevent the spread is to just not hold it. And the whole year has been online so some people wouldn’t have had access to classes, thus it deepens an already existing inequality.

-Arjun, Student

At first a lot of us just took Covid as an excuse to skip exams and classes but at this point I’m sure most of us are genuinely scared. And the fact that it’s spreading and increasing every day makes it worse. Writing exams despite the rising numbers of Covid cases, would just put our family members in danger.

-Vinit, Student

In my opinion, it is really stupid to ask children to take the examination in person, especially when the number of Covid cases is on the high across the country. We are putting our future generation in high risk and also the time and resources of all the doctors, paramedics, teachers and parents.

-Swapna, Parent

Pretty shit decision. It’s good it’s finally getting over but I think they’re being a little careless.

-Seyyid, Student

Personally I don’t mind that they’re conducting the exams in person, as long as they have strict regulations. What really concerns me are the dates for the exams, as a lot of students have only started picking up pace recently (including myself), it’s fair to say that we would be needing a little more time, even a 2-week postpone would be really helpful.

-Adam, Student

The exams can be conducted in person if the school follows proper Covid protocols like disinfecting the permises, use of sanitisers and social distancing. With their respective schools becoming centres, this can be achieved, as the number of students will be limited. Conducting offline exams for Grade 12 students is important as this gives them opportunity to apply for good colleges in India and abroad.

-Sabeeha, Parent

I feel quite disappointed with our education system. Last year all exams were cancelled with hardly any cases in the country, and nothing has changed since then. In fact, the situation has just worsened, especially in the last 30 days. I don’t feel that the government has the means to provide us with a safe environment to write these exams.

-Sidhhant, Student

The current situation of the Covid cases is grim. Cancelling or having the class 12 board exams online is not a solution, at the same time it is not safe to put our children at risk with offline exams. I think as parents, most of us are perplexed.

-Ekta, Parent

As India is recording single day spikes in cases, which is more than a lakh, it is not wise to conduct physical exams. I feel the government should cancel the exams or postpone it for at least a month and then review the situation based on the number of cases.

-Rashmi, Teacher

According to me, we can postpone the exams but not cancel them. In case they are conducted, strict safety precautions should be followed with minimum no. of students in each classroom. And if a child is tested positive, the child should be given a separate room to write so that the child doesn’t miss out academically.

-Daisy, Parent

While we know the importance public exams hold a student’s life, as a parent, I think the government should be more sensitive towards taking a decision in conducting the tests in person, the students lives matter more. And the 2nd wave is dangerous for kids between the age of 16 to 25. 

-Vandana, Parent

I honestly feel it’s unfair to a lot of students. The cases are 1 lakh and rising, and from this weekend onwards, the government is imposing a “partial” lockdown.  All of us are aware the second wave is deadlier than the first. And still our board thinks it’s a good idea to keep exams offline. I just hope student’s lives are taken more seriously. 

-Vishnu, Student

What are your thoughts on the examinations being held offline?