PANJIM: Congress on Monday urged Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to reconsider the decision of holding Class X and Class XII board examination during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat in a statement made this appeal and suggested that an alternative be found for the exam. “Goa government must advise GBSHSE to take opinion of experts and find some alternative to the exams,” he said, and added that it is not fair to expose children to coronavirus and scorching heat.
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Kamat said the government should advise Goa Board to take the opinion of experts from the field of education and health and find an alternative for Class X and Class XII examinations in the current scenario.
Kamat pointed out that various parents, teachers and representatives of NGOs have brought to his notice that it is not advisable to push the young students to answer the examination when they are mentally not prepared for it.
Almost 18,000 students will be appearing for the SSC examination and will have to maintain the norms of physical distancing and hygiene.
“Goa Board will have to make arrangements for almost 1,800 classrooms to accommodate 8 to 10 students in one class to answer the examination. At present, government centres do not have such infrastructure. The government will have to look for additional school premises. However, it is important to ensure that the classrooms have proper fans and ventilation, toilets and washrooms and other infrastructural facilities,” he said.
Kamat said he has been informed that almost 200 plus students of SSC/HSSC are out of Goa and are awaiting transport arrangements to return and may face quarantine and may not be able to appear for exams.
“It will be like playing with the lives of young children by forcing them to appear for the examination. The students will be accompanied by their parents who will disturb the physical distancing norms to avoid COVID infection,” he said.
