Board students may enjoy longer vacay due to Covid-19 lockdown

The domino effect of the 21-day lockdown imposed by the country to fight the spread of Covid-19 is likely to be seen on the results of over 18 lakh students who appeared for Board exams this year. With answersheet evaluation halted till April 14 due to lockdown, the results of Class 10 and Class 12 are likely to be announced only by end of May or first week of June.Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) officials said delay in announcing results will depend on whether the lockdown will be extended beyond April14.
To expedite evaluation and ensure results are on time, the school teachers' association have put across a demand to allow teachers to check answersheets at home. GSHSEB Chairman A J Shah, however, denied this possibility. "It is not possible to allow teachers to check papers from home," he said. He added that Board will wait till April 14 to take further decision on evaluation.
The loss of crucial evaluation days means that results which are usually announced in the first week of May is likely to be put off till the end of May. It could be delayed further if the situation does not improve and lockdown continues. "If this happens, the admission process for graduate courses that usually begins in July will be delayed, too. This in turn will affect the entire academic calendar. Since CBSE has not yet completed their exams, the academic calendar will definitely be affected," said an official in education department.
College students demand mass promotions, too
Aday after Gujarat government announced mass promotion for students in class 1-9 and class 11, students enrolled in various universities also raised a similar demand. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students Union of India (NSUI) both wrote to the chief minister, education minister, education department officials as well as Vice-Chancellors of all varsities demanding mass promotion even for graduate and post-graduate students. Education department officials, however, said that no such proposal is being considered at this moment. They said mass promotions were given in 1972 and 1984 in Gujarat. Students were issued just a certificate of passing and not a marksheet which caused them trouble in bagging jobs or pursuing higher degrees.
A senior education official, refusing to be named, said, "As mass promotion was challenged in court earlier, we are not considering it. A decision will be taken keeping in mind how situation evolves in April."
Meanwhile, universities are mulling on holding online exams. With limited number of students in PG courses, varsities plans to roll out online platforms to conduct exams.
GTU V-C Navin Sheth said, "We plan to take online exam for master degree students, if needed. We are chalking out plans to conduct their exams in form other than pen and paper format."