BHOPAL: State Government Collegiate Education Professors’ Association has urged the Governor to withhold the ongoing college and university exams to prevent spread of Covid-19 in state.
Association president Kailash Tyagi said that letters in this regard have been issued by different authorities including University Grants Commission and Higher Education Department.
“The latest among these letters is the one issued by the state health department. It clearly disallows gathering of more than 20 people but barred examinations from it,” said Tyagi.
The letter states that the examination has already begun and students gather in large numbers at all exam centres. Moreover, parents also come to colleges to pick and drop their children. Therefore, whole gathering becomes vulnerable to the dreaded virus.
The attendance of students remains almost 100%. About 50-100 students sit in one classroom for more than three hours, which makes them more susceptible to coronavirus. Basic protocol of maintaining a distance of at least one meter too is hardly followed at any exam centre.
Health department had issued an advisory this Sunday barring gathering of more than 50 people at a place besides several other instructions.
However, neither school nor the higher education department has cancelled or held examinations. At present board exams for class 5, 8, 10 and 12 are on of various boards including the MP Board,
ICSE and the CBSE.
Similarly, examinations of colleges and universities are also on. About 10-12 lakh students appear for class 10 and 12 board exams and about same numbers of students appear in collegiate exams.
Most examination centres have a capacity to arrange examination for 500-1000 students.
Considering the magnitude of Covid pandemic and the advisory issued by World Health Organisation, Union and state governments, examinations should be put on hold, added Tyagi.
