HYDERABAD: In a relief to the State government, a division bench of the High Court, on Tuesday, permitted it to conduct the Class X board examinations(SSC) from June 8 onwards. The bench directed the State to ensure that students from smaller schools are transported to those with huge campuses for the exam. Students should be informed well in advance about the change of venue, it added. Helpline numbers must be provided to the parents in case of an emergency, the bench noted.
While considering the government’s plea to vacate the stay order passed on March 20 this year — which directed it to postpone the SSC exams scheduled from March 23 to April 6 in view of the Covid-19 outbreak — the bench said, “The State must review the existing situation. If it is unable to hold the exams from June 8, the students should be notified about the same immediately.” “The State must remain vigilant in order to protect students from any possibility of Covid-19 exposure.
But at the same time, the court is equally concerned about leaving them in suspense about the exam. Since the State government has assured it would take all critical steps to ensure their safety, the court has decided to permit the State to hold the exam,” the bench observed. Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy passed this order in the PIL filed by M Bala Krishna, a faculty in a private educational institution, seeking postponement of SSC exams.
State advocate general BS Prasad told the court that there were about 5.34 lakh students, who were yet to complete their SSC exams, and that their future hung in balance. Due to postponement of the exam, there is a sense of anxiety in their minds, he said. “The government is eager to hold the exam as expeditiously as possible after the lockdown is lifted on May 31. The exam centres, which were earlier constituted for 200 to 240 students per centre, will now be used to accommodate only 100 to 120 students,” he added.
Directions of the bench
The bench directed the State to ensure that the students living in red zones are safely transported to the exam centre. Social distancing must be maintained both inside and outside the hall and every centre must be disinfected before an exam
Teachers unhappy
Teachers’ unions in the State are unhappy with the High Court’s decision on the SSC exams. TSUTF general secretary Chava Ravi said, “The State should first return to normalcy. Only then should the SSC exams be conducted.”