Final Year Students Demand for Exam Cancellation: Every Coin Has Two Sides, Life or Career??

It is believed that “the county rises when the youth rises”. Hence youth of the country destines where the country would have its next stop. Every citizen of a country believes that strengthening the youth is directly proportional to strengthening the future ahead of the nation. And proper literacy and education is the only key to empower the youth. The country was trying hard to put the front foot forward for the development of its youth, but with the arrival of Coronavirus it seems like brought a new era of backwardness has begun. The era of freezing everything like a statue. The country had taken steps to fight against it but the virus proved to be stronger and compelled the nation to stand on a hold. Since mid-March every educational institution has been officially shut as a preventive measure taken against the wildly spreading COVID-19. It has been over 2 months that students are away from their educational environment. But this cannot continue for a long time. But the interrogation arrives when the thought of a solution passes by.  

The career building stage arrives in a student’s life when he /she has stepped into their higher education phase. Shakespeare said that “all’s well that ends well”, from that we conclude how end of everything plays an important role to describe the whole journey. Hence the government of the nation has examined just the end of every educational journey as that will decide the fortune of the new beginning.

But is it the right step to conduct the examination under such circumstances where the life risk is at a top level. The students are not just the future of the country but also an asset of their parents. And the current scenario of the nation seems horrifying. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of his speech when he requests the citizens to maintain social-distancing and regulate self-isolation regarding fight against Coronavirus mentioned “Jaan hai toh Jahan hai” which means ‘you have the world when you have yourself’. The country truly believes these words and so questions the decision of the government about conducting examinations in such a havoc situation.

Why is it important to conduct papers for the last year students?

Student’s life is a race. A race where one has to excel to earn a better racing track for their next race. At the end, that is how one describes success. In a country like where total population is over 1.3 billion and job opportunities do not even lies around half of that figure. Hence to decide the deserving of such minimal job opportunities available for the assessment of their capability is much needed. One of the educationalist came up with the term of “corona graduate” to explain what would happen to the students of this batch if exams do not take place. It was further explained by how “step-motherly” treatment they might get during the recruitment. This would disturb the balance of who belongs to a specific organization and who doesn’t. The thought of equality will give birth to a different meaning. No matter how your abilities are, you would be enjoying or regretting to stand in the same queue.

And apart from all this, final-year exams give students a fair chance for improvement. Students put all their dedication to hit the last paper as this would decide their next destination. There must be students who might have lacked behind the previous terms but possess the capability to win and the final exams are the only way to strive their winning bar. Not only this, the unfortunate students holding ATKT that may keep term needs to clear their backlog and final exams are the only way out.

Even the universities will also lose their chances to improve their ranking on list of excellence and which is not something appreciable.

 Board examinations

Board examinations are the most stressful part of a student’s life where it is not just their examination somehow proves to be one for their parents too. These examinations will decide where the next destiny lies. Every year college cutoffs gets on a new stage of astonishment with limited seats and raised challenges. Performance in the board exams decide where the future has taken its seat. Every student longs for the best. But the question arises how the board examinations will attain success in such a havoc situation.  

The rise in COVID-19 cases is continuing, and that worries the parents about their child’s safety. The pending examinations of classes 10th and 12th will start from 1st of July, this year. But as the strongly believed estimation lies, the situation will not take any miraculous pleasant turn of betterment. This leads to raised demand of scrapping this year’s board exam.

Nitin Aksar, a student’s parent said, “Who will ensure the safety of our children? One asymptomatic child or invigilator can affect all the kids in that classroom. The viral load of being in the same room for 4 hours is very high.” Another parent said that “Other than a logistic nightmare, what if the situation worsens? The kids prepare again and at the last minute the exams get cancelled again. What will be the psychological impact on our student?” (Source: The Hindu)

The examination will be conducted within the enrolled schools rather than the traditional procedure of allotment of external centers. 

Final year students demand exam cancellation

The government has promoted ‘non-last year students’ with no exam conduction but based on their performance in the internal examinations which have already been held and some practical assignments submitted by the students. Now the final year students are only at the risk of a choice between career and life. Every person is dealing with a mental kick right now due the coronavirus pandemic going on and students are included in the same. The students who have returned to their homes and are not a city or town resident might be facing lack of resources like internet, mentor-ship, even books/library. How are these students expected to cope up? Not only this, the lockdown has polled the business shutters down, the problem of financial crisis has deeply occurred in the nation. The situations screaming that underprivileged students will have to suffer.

The students even argue that they might take the risks of their life but they have to return to their homes and if by any chance they get infected, their family members are also at a risk. And one should never forget that COVID treatment is expensive and there is no assurance of recovery. Who will take the responsibility of the expenditure and for the lives at risk?

The social media is witnessing campaigns with hashtags like #studentlivesmatter, #cancelexaminations, #livesoverexams, where the students are protesting against the decision of exam conduction.

Another argument got the highlight which was to delay it. But counter arguments of “time and tide wait for none” slaughtered the strength of it.

Hence the nation still awaits to see the consequence of the decision taken by the concerned authority.