GUWAHATI, July 2: All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has demanded the scrapping of a clause in the evaluation criteria formulated by two expert committees for High School Leaving Certificate (Class 10) and Higher Secondary (Class 12) exams, which states that the mark-sheets and certificates under the new formula will be applicable for admissions in higher classes but not valid for state government jobs.
The influential students union warned the state government not to “play with the lives and future of students” with such an “absurd” clause in the evaluation criteria and immediately take a decision to withdraw the clause.
“We have an objection to one clause which states that the HSLC and HS mark-sheets will not be eligible for employment but only for admissions to higher classes. This is rather absurd and goes against the interest of students. So we want the state government withdraw this particular clause. We want the students to get justice,” AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharjya told reporters here on Friday.
The Assam education department had on Thursday announced the evaluation criteria of the exams after the critical COVID situation prompted cancellation of the exams last month.
About seven lakh students were to appear in the exams.
The students union, which was consulted by the state education department before the modalities were worked out for evaluation criteria in the wake of cancellation of the exams, asserted that the state government, SEBA and AHSEC should implement the other recommendations of the committees to ensure that the “students get justice”.
“While we agree that there should be no ranks given to students, we want the exam boards to award star/distinction marks as divisions such as first and second would be announced. The evaluation criteria have to be student friendly,” Bhattacharjya said.
“We will submit separate letters to the chief minister and education minister demanding withdrawal of the clause,” he said.
AASU president Dipanka Nath said the clause “compromises the interest and security of the students”.
“As it is, they are already under a lot of mental pressure amid the uncertainty brought about by the COVID situation,” Nath said.
He further said that the health department had given data underlining that the situation was not conducive for exams and hence insecure for COVID students, for which the exams had to be cancelled.
“So this situation is not the fault of students. The previous government is to be blamed for not being able to hold the exams on time (in February) and then came the pandemic situation,” Nath said.