Intermediate exam schedule may be delayed this year as the government wants to run at least three months of classes to ensure that majority of students get enough time to get back into the groove of classroom learning.
Though online classes have been on but their efficacy and their effectiveness in learning is not yet known as there are no exams conducted. Private colleges have exposed students to the exam systems through online but writing the exams sitting at home can in no way replace the actually experience.
In this backdrop, the government may decided to conduct the exams in April last week or May first week giving enough time for classroom learning and preparations. “This is an idea that will be thrown up with senior officials. We don’t want students to get the fear of exams right from the day the colleges start,” an official of the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) said.
The biggest solace for students is that the burden of examinations will be eased this time with just 70% of the syllabus being considered. The remaining 30% will be part of the internal assessments after the classes open.
At the same time, the BIE has already to decided to give more choices in the questions thus easing pressure. The choices may be double the number that are offered in the existing pattern. “Even those involved in preparing the question papers will be asked to go easy,” an official said.
Since there will be fewer number of students in the class this time as the colleges with more than 300 students have to run in two shifts, officials feel teachers can concentrate bit more on individual students even in this short time.
“We will be asking the lecturers to drive away the fear of exams constantly as we have been receiving more queries on the exams since we decided to reopen the colleges,” an official said.
Transport issues
Meanwhile, parents are not so much worried about the conditions in schools and colleges as they are about the transport issues as nearly 75% of students depend on public transport.
When lakhs of students are out on the roads, the buses would be overcrowded and nearly 90% of Intermediate students use the public transport. The parents have expressed their apprehensions in view of the fact that COVID-19 norms are thrown to winds in public places.
Most parents cannot afford private transport and students are not allowed to drive vehicles two-wheelers as they are under-aged for getting a license. Parents are worried that travelling in crowded buses may lead to rapid spread of the virus. “Government should take this issue seriously and come out with some solution,” a parent said.
