New Delhi: AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday said the government should reconsider conducting CBSE board exams scheduled in May.

In her letter addressed to the Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today, the general secretary of All India Congress Committee, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has requested the government to reconsider conducting CBSE board examination that are scheduled to be held next month in May.

“… despite the massive and uncontrolled rise in COVID-19 cases across the country and over 1 lakh new cases coming to light on a daily basis, the CBSE board has issued a circular stating that it is going ahead with the Board exams scheduled,” reads her letter dated April 11.

देश भर में कोरोना के बढ़ते मामलों के बीच छात्रों व उनके अभिवावकों ने CBSE परीक्षा 2021 को लेकर कुछ वाजिब चिंताएं जाहिर की हैं।

My letter to the Minister of Education @DrRPNishank asking him to reconsider allowing the CBSE to conduct board exams under the prevailing COVID wave. pic.twitter.com/Ai4Zl796il

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 11, 2021

FULL TEXT OF HER LETTER

It is indeed shocking that despite the massive and uncontrolled rise in COVID-19 cases across the country and over 1 lakh new cases coming to light on a daily basis, the CBSE board has issued a circular stating that it is going ahead with the Board exams scheduled in May. Students prepare for these exams for months on end as they determine the future course of their lives. Yet lakhs of children and parents from all over India have been expressing their fears and apprehensions about assembling at exam centers to sit for the exams in the middle of the second wave of COVID-19.

These apprehensions are not unreasonable; indeed, they are well founded. It will be practically impossible to ensure the safety of students at large and crowded exam centers. Additionally, given the nature and spread of the virus, it is not just the students who will be at risk but also their teachers, invigilators and family members who are in contact with them. Aside from this, by forcing the children to sit for these exams during a raging pandemic, the Government and the CBSE board will be held responsible in the event that any of the exam centers prove to be hotspots at which large numbers of children become infected with the disease. The Government and the CBSE board might want to consider whether they are prepared to own the legal liability for students or others who might be severely affected by the disease in this manner.

May I respectfully submit that it is our responsibility as political leaders to protect and guide the young. As state after state issues guidelines preventing the assembly of large numbers of people in public places, what moral grounds can we stand on, while forcing young children to do exactly that. It is not just the physical health of these children, but also their psychological well-being that can be deeply impacted. They already face the immense pressure of the exams; in addition, they will now be fearing the conditions in which they will be taking them. Being forced to sit for exams donning masks, gloves and other protective gear under the specter of a deadly disease will cause unnecessary anxiety to these children and impact their ability to perform as well.

They are rightfully requesting that the exams be cancelled under the prevailing circumstances. I do hope that the Government will engage in a dialogue with schools, students and their parents so that a safer way for them to fulfil their educational obligations can be found. Rather than forcing them into a potentially dangerous situation, it would be in the fitness of things for them to be given the support, encouragement and protection that is due to them at this very trying time.