ACKHSA raises crucial academic issues before Education Minister Ranoj Pegu

Special Correspondent

SILCHAR: All Cachar-Karimganj-Hailakandi Students' Association (ACKHSA) which since its inception in 1983 has been voicing various issues of students and also fighting for their resolution. COVID pandemic has no doubt disrupted the academic calendar of students, affecting their regular classes and examinations. It has put at stake their further higher studies and career. The focus of this address to Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, who is on a 3-day visit to the valley, is in respect of the conduct of Class X and XII examinations and how this crisis can be overcome.

Classes have been running irregularly since 2020 with the outbreak of COVID-19. To say online classes have been beneficial for all the students is not true. There are a sizeable number of unprivileged among them who do not possess smart phones or gadgets and computers. Besides, internet network in rural Barak is poor. To cap it all is the erratic supply of electricity. In such a situation, students at such disadvantage have been pursuing their studies.

Vaccination drive for below 18 years is yet to start. To hold offline examinations is risky and hazardous which might cause setback to the relentless efforts of the Centre and the State to control COVID pandemic. The shadow of third wave is lurking as predicted by DGMC. ACKHSA reminds on June 1 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi after holding dialogue with CBSE authorities announced cancellation of examinations conducted by it. The CBSE appointed a 12 member committee to look into other alternatives of evaluating the Class XII students.

States like Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, UP, Rajasthan, Goa, Haryana and Gujarat have followed suit. These states are working on methods of evaluation in sync with CBSE. ACKHSA pleads for identical decision by Assam to do justice to the students of the State. Moreover, if offline examinations are conducted in Assam, this will lead to disparity in marks of students in the State as CBSE and other States will follow moderate and lenient modality of awarding marks to their students.

The greatest setback for Assam students will be for admission in reputed colleges and institutions for higher studies due to the wide disparity of marks. ACKHSA therefore suggests that Class X examination be cancelled and en masse promotion given. For Class XII, Assam can follow the guidelines of the 12 member committee of CBSE for evaluation of students by appointing its own committee. The guidelines will be released by the CBSE appointed committee in a day or two. An early decision on this vital academic matter will come as a relief to tensed students. AASU and ABSU have been invited by the State government for talks on Class X and XII examinations. ACKHSA wants its participation in the discussions and hopes Education Minister Ranoj Pegu will consider it.

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