Team Herald
PANJIM: The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam of Goa Board of Secondary and High Secondary School will be held as per schedule from Thursday after the High Court of Bombay at Goa on Wednesday paved the way for holding the exams, which were held back due to the lockdown in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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During the hearing of a petition on Wednesday, the State government submitted instructions from Ministry of Home Affairs allowing Goa to hold the examinations with due precautions.
“After taking into account those factors and the assurance given by the State government of ensuring all safety precautions, such as increased number of examination centres, sanitisation of the school premises, ensuring social distancing, special transport facilities, etc I am directed to convey the approval of the competent Authority in the Ministry to grant exemption from the lockdown measures to the State government of Goa to hold the Board examination for classes 10th and 12th,” states an email sent from an MHA official to Goa Chief Secretary during the early hours of Wednesday.
MHA has imposed conditions such as no examination centre to be permitted in the containment zone, mandatory wearing of masks by teachers, staff and students, provision of thermal screening and sanitiser at the centres and social distancing (2 gaz ki doori) in all examination centres.
The High Court also heard an intervention application filed by some schools, students and parents, supporting the decision of the government to hold the examination. The applicants maintained that students have not expressed unwillingness to proceed with the examination in the prevailing situation and are confident on the safety precautions undertaken by the government and the Goa Board. The students, claiming to have been preparing for the exam for one year, also stated that SSC examination is crucial in determining their future career prospects.
On Tuesday, the High Court had asked MHA to submit instructions for holding examinations in schools and colleges, in response to a fresh petition seeking a review of the court’s earlier order declining to stay the SSC examination.
Being an urgent matter, the court scheduled the hearing for Wednesday at 10am with Assistant Solicitor General of India Pravin Faldessai requested to obtain instructions from the MHA “as to whether any of the clauses of the MHA’s order dated May 17, 2020 prohibit even holding of the examination in schools and colleges.” Petitioner Cedric Vaz, whose previous petition to revoke the examination was declined by the court last week, had moved the court with another plea on Tuesday citing change in circumstances.
