GUWAHATI, June 16: The Assam Cabinet on Wednesday recommended that in the prevailing COVID situation, it would be not possible to conduct the Assam board and higher secondary (Class XII) examinations “under the existing set of arrangements or routine modalities for holding the examinations”.
“However, a final decision would be taken in this regard on June 18 by the Assam education department during a meeting with various other stakeholders, including students unions and relevant organisations,” state health minister Keshab Mahanta informed reporters after the Cabinet meeting here.
The state health department, Mahanta said had made a presentation before the Cabinet based on facts collected from the education department that a gathering of 7 lakh candidates, who are to appear in the state board and HS exams, along with as many guardians, besides teachers and invigilators, would be too huge, unsafe and risky given the prevailing COVID situation.
“From the facts we have ascertained, about 25,000 in the 0-18 years’ age group have been infected during the second wave of COVID in the state during May and June this year,” the minister said.
“The positivity rate in this group is as high as 14.8 percent, while in the 11-18 age category, it is 10 percent,” he added.
“Based on these facts, the exams cannot be held under the existing set of arrangements or routine modalities as the number of people gathering (as proposed by the education department) will be too huge (almost 20 lakh) to ensure safety,” Mahanta said.
As it is, inter-district communication remains suspended while five districts, reporting high COVID cases, are under scanner.
The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, further decided to set up four new forensic laboratories at Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh, Silchar Medical College and Hospital, Tezpur Medical College and Hospital and Bongaigaon Civil Hospital.
A decision was taken to empower the social welfare department to procure rice directly from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to reduce costs.
Also, fixation of ceiling (FoC) will not be required from now onwards in implementation of SNP.
The state Cabinet approved the statutes of Madhabdev University at Narayanpur, Bhattadev University at Bajali, Pathsala, Birangana Sati Sadhani State University at Golaghat and Rabindranath Tagore University at Hojai for facilitating smooth functioning of the universities.
Besides, the Cabinet also decided not to allow home isolation to any COVID-19 patient who does not have a separate accommodation facility at home.