The Andhra Pradesh state government is facing a Twitter-wide campaign from the student community in the state who are scheduled to appear in the Class 10 and Class 12 board exams this year. While many central boards such as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations and other state affiliated boards have postponed board exams this year owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Andhra Pradesh Minister of Education, Adimulapu Suresh was reported saying that the state government is trying to salvage the academic years of students who are going to appear in the Class 10th and Class 12th board exams this year.
The Andhra Pradesh state board’s Class 10 final exams are scheduled to commence from May 05, 2021 while the Class 12 board exams are scheduled to commence from June 06, 2021. Contrary to this, amidst the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, most other state boards as well as the CBSE and CISCE have postponed board exams for the health and well-being of students.
Students have taken to social media platform Twitter to raise their voices against such a decision of the state government. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have taken another turn this year as cases keep rising during on a regular basis. Students have resorted to Twitter posts indicating that while most other states have postponed board exams, the Andhra Pradesh government is not thinking about the health and safety of students.
On the contrary, AP Education Minister, Adimulapu Suresh was quoted saying that the state government is going to conduct the Board exams by following all COVID-19 protocols. The government is trying to salvage the academic years of students of Class 10 and Class 12, he said. It may be noted that students of Class 1 to 9 in the state are being given mass promotion without staging any examination.
Students and parents are advised to keep a regular tab on official websites and other sources to know about the state government’s final decision to conduct the board exams amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. With casualties increasing day by day, it is extremely risky to conduct the exams during such times. A final decision is still awaited while students keep voicing their concerns over Twitter. Twitter posts marked with hashtag #CancelAPExams2021 is already trending on the platform as many users are demanding that the government postpones the exam keeping in mind the health and safety of the students.
