Postpone Exams! Correct me if I am wrong. But I guess the government did postpone exams initially when corona was spreading fast and we were not ready, medically and administratively. You can’t cancel entrance exams because it will make students lose one whole academic year. If you keep postponing them, the next academic year will be affected. If transportation during lockdown situation is your issue, then demand transport arrangements for all students. That’s a basic demand and quite understandable. There are two sides to the coin here:-
1) Some students want the exam to be canceled or continually postponed until the corona situation eases up. These students don’t mind losing one academic year or the next academic year getting affected.
2) Some students don’t want to lose their academic year. They are willing to take that risk of corona exposure. And it does affect your rhythm and study plan when exams keep postponing. Every student would like the exam to happen on the date they prepared for. More time does not mean better preparation. More chances of worse performance as fatigue creeps in. It’s unfair, to be honest. Some people are saying that the flood situation is bad in many areas. But from what I know, these floods come every year at the same time in those states. I am not saying it’s cool and the flood comes there every year. I have seen the pics and videos. It’s really sad and horrible. But when you don’t cancel the exams every year for the same floods, then why this year? The government should arrange transportation facilities for candidates such areas. I guess that’s a better solution. Corona may stay the same or get worse until we get the vaccine and become available to 1.3 billion people across India. It will be at least 8 months from now. So if the government keeps postponing the exams due to corona, the students will lose one whole year. I am not doubting your intentions when you raise this issue of canceling exams or postponing them. But students losing one whole year of their career is not a joke as well. Let’s say 50% of students want to lose their one year for their safety concerns. But how can 50% of students force the other 50% of students to not take exams? It’s your choice to not sit for entrance exams because you feel unsafe due to corona. But it’s their choice too if they don’t want to lose one whole year due to corona.
Date should be postponed for one final time and special hostel accommodation should be arranged for flood-affected students, all free facilities, including food. They must not suffer twice. Once for flood, second for exams.
Fair enough? Personally, if I were to sit for the entrance test for college, I would rather take risk of corona than lose one year of my career or keep preparing for an unknown time with no certainty on anything. I can’t prepare like that. It would be very unfair for people who have given their all, thinking that they had to study for this finite time. How can you just turn around and say, no, keep studying, until, we will tell you, maybe keep studying for the next one year? And how long can you keep everyone locked inside? The economy is dead. Do you want education to go dead too? We need to learn to live with corona at some point of time, risky, but we must. I read one comment on Face book regarding postpone of Exam “Would like to mention that floods do come every year at this time, but exams don’t happen at this time every year, they happen in April, May time so that’s why floods issue is a major issue for postponing the exams.” My suggestion is that in this case, date should be postponed for one final time and special hostel accommodation should be arranged for flood-affected students, all free facilities, including food. They must not suffer twice. Once for flood, second for exams.
(The author is a student of Nursing in Rajiv Gandhi College of Nursing. Views are his own)[email protected]