In an attempt to prevent the students from falling prey to the second wave of Covid-19 presently sweeping across the country the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled the board examination of Class X and deferred the examination of the class XII this year but it appears that the Uttarakhand Board is not concerned about safety of the students as it is geared up for holding its class X and XII examination from May 4. The statement of the Education Minister Arvind Pandey that the board examinations would be held as per the schedule has put the parents of more than 2.72 Lakh students in great anxiety. The double standards adopted by different boards for their students have put up a big question mark on the functioning of the Uttarakhand board and the education department of the state. Interestingly the adamant behaviour of the education department comes at a time when a large number of teachers and students in the state are suffering from Covid-19. The Education director R K Kunwar who also happens to be the chairman of the Uttarakhand Vidhyalayi Shiksha Parishad (UVSP) R K Kunwar is himself suffering from the Covid-19 and has isolated himself.

Rakhi Devi, a resident of Dehradun and mother of a class X student said, “It appears that the state government does not care about the safety of children. How is it possible that children of the same class belonging to one board would remain in the safety of their homes while others would be exposed to the virus?,’’ she questioned.

The president of the National Association for Parents and Students Rights (NAPSR) Arif Khan said that the state government should immediately follow the steps taken by the Union government and CBSE and order the Uttarakhand Board to cancel or postpone the examinations.

“Many teachers and students are already infected with Covid-19. There should be no compromise with the safety of the students,’’ he said.

When contacted the secretary of UVSP, Neeta Tiwari told The Pioneer that all preparations for the examinations are made by the board. On the deferment of the examinations she curtly said that the administration would have to take a decision on this.

The class X and XII examinations of Uttarakhand board are scheduled between May 4 to May 22. A total of 148823 students in Class X and 123485 students in Class XII are enrolled for the examination.