PUDUCHERRY: Reluctant to visit HSC and SSLC answer paper valuation centres in the red districts of Villupuram and Cuddalore, Puducherry school teachers have sought a centre in Puducherry or in the intermittent areas of Tamil Nadu in the Union Territory. The students of both Puducherry and Karaikal regions appear for HSC and SSLC examinations under the Tamil Nadu Board of Education.
Stating that the Directorate of Government Exams of the Tamil Nadu government is planning to conduct HSC paper valuation from May 27, the Puducherry Government Teachers Association Coordination Committee (PGTACC) has shot off a memorandum to the TN Education Minister urging the government to establish a HSC and SSLC valuation centre in Puducherry as was done earlier except in the last two years.
N Manogarane, President of PGTACC, and K Pary, General Secretary of PGTACC, stated that the centre is necessary in Puducherry because most of the teachers use public transport and cannot travel to valuation centres in Villupuram, Cuddalore, Tindivanam and Nagapattinam due to minimal operation of public transport.
Also it will not be ideal to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic which is at its peak now, so, considering the safety and well being of teachers, a valuation centre is necessary in Puducherry, they said. This will also be in tune with Tamil Nadu's plan to increase the number of answer script valuation centres three-fold from the existing number, they added.
Further, if arranging a valuation centre in Puducherry is not possible due to technicalities, a valuation centre at Vallalar Govt. Hr. Sec. School in Kandamangalam in Tamil Nadu could be arranged for Puducherry teachers, as it is an intermittent area. In case even this is not feasible, the teachers of Puducherry and Karaikal regions may be exempted from H.Sc. and SSLC paper valuation during May and June 2020, they said.
Also, pointing to the CBSE, New Delhi, permitting assistant examiners to correct answer scripts at their homes and submit the corrected scripts to the respective SO/CE the next day in the valuation camps, they urged the Tamil Nadu government to adopt a similar measure. This method helps in maintaining social distancing and increases the safety of teachers during this severe pandemic, they said.