Postponement of HSLC & HS exams may have negative effects on students'

NEW DATES FOR HSLC & HS EXAMS'

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Parents, teachers and students have opposed Dispur's decision to defer the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and Higher Secondary (HS) Examinations 2021 till May. They have stated that this move would negatively impact the mental preparedness of examinees.

On January 2, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that while the HSLC examinations would begin on May 11 in the State, the HS examinations will commence on May 12. In the previous years, both the examinations were held in February and March.

"There was no necessity of deferring such important examinations till May. The majority of students have been preparing for the HSLC and HS examinations since October, 2020 keeping in the mind that the examinations will be held in February or March. Now the Education Minister's announcement will break the momentum of preparedness of students. Once they lose the momentum, it might be difficult for many among them to again prepare for the examinations with the same dedication and concentration," said the Principal of a government high school.

Barun Das, whose son is appearing in the HS Science stream exams, said that his son had plans to prepare for the all India entrance exams such as NEET and JEE from April. "If the HS examination is held in May, his entire plan has been jeopardized. My son is very frustrated now," said Das. His son, Saurav had secured 90 per cent aggregate marks in the HSLC-2018 examinations.

Criticising the government's move, a candidate for the HSLC exams — Sangeeta Sarma posed, "If the BTC elections and other activities could be held in time, why aren't the important exams held as per the schedule? After completing my course, I'm revising it for the third time. How long will I keep on revising?

"The greatest fear in examination deferment is the loss of concentration among the students. Students create a mental frame of mind for the examination schedules and plan their various activities accordingly. Changing of dates and deferment thus become frustrating for them," said a psychiatrist at the Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH).

Also Read: Assam HSLC & HS exams in May: Himanta Biswa Sarma

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