GUWAHATI, June 18: The Assam Board and higher secondary exams have been put off in view of the prevailing COVID situation in the state and keeping in interest the health and well-being of the candidates who were to appear in the examinations.
The Assam education department arrived at the much-awaited and crucial decision, concerning nearly seven lakh students under Board of Secondary Education (SEBA) and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC), after detailed discussions with all stakeholders and taking into consideration the facts on COVID infections (among the younger age categories) presented by the state health department.
“The health department made a presentation before us during the meeting, pointing out that in the months of May and June about 14 percent of the population in the state in the 0 to 18 years age category has been infected with COVID while about 10 percent in the 11 to 18 years category has been infected,” state education minister Ranoj Pegu told reporters after the meeting here on Friday.
As on Friday, while the COVID positivity rate has come down below three, the situation in five districts- Nagaon, Sonitpur, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Cachar – is still critical, with the positivity rate hovering between 4 and 6 percent.
“So, while the health department has informed us that it could not give us any concrete decision on the COVID situation before the third week of July, we have decided to cancel the exams as it would be too late by that time to hold the exams if at all the situation improved,” Pegu said.
The education minister however said that two committees, comprising academicians, would be constituted on Saturday to decide on the modalities and marking formula of the students of both SEBA and AHESC and submit their recommendations in a week’s time.
“We have also decided that the results of both the exams, based on the modalities/marking formula decided by the two committees, would have to be declared by July 31, 2021,” Pegu said.
Apart from the officials of the Assam education and health departments, officials of SEBA, AHSEC and representatives of All Assam Students Union, All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), Assam Sahitya Sabha, Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Assam Academic Council and All Assam Teachers Association among others were present at the meeting.
The Assam Cabinet on Wednesday too had recommended that, in the prevailing COVID situation, it would not be permissible to conduct the Assam board and higher secondary examinations “under routine modalities for holding the exams”.