Considering the safety of students, the Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday announced the cancellation of class 12 board exams.
Before Himachal, several states including Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, UP, and Madhya Pradesh have already cancelled the state board exams because of the pandemic.
In a cabinet meeting held on Saturday, it was decided that the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBSE) would devise a formula for assessing the students. The formula would be similar to the one being devised by the CBSE.
The state cabinet decided that in case some students are not satisfied with the results, they would be allowed to appear in a special examination to would be conducted when the circumstances are conducive.
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Meanwhile, the government has decided that all educational institutions in the state including coaching and training centres will remain closed. Curfew restrictions have also been extended by the government till June 14.
The state has not eased restrictions particularly because of the fact that the positivity rate in the state is still between 9 to 10 percent.
A comparison conducted by the state's health department between the first wave and the second wave of Covid-19 has found that the second wave has been more severe. The average number of cases reported in the first wave per day was 171 while in the second wave it was 1342 per day, which is almost eight times.
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The positivity rate also increased to more than double in the second wave.
“There have been 2262 deaths in the second wave till May 4, 2021, as compared to the first wave in which 982 people had succumbed to Covid-19. Out of total deaths, 69.7 percent of deaths have occurred in the second wave. The mean age of deaths in the second wave was 61 years as compared to the first wave which was 64.2 years”, said Dr Nipun Jindal, Mission Director, National Health Mission.
The case fatality rate registered in the first wave was 1.68 percent as compared to 1.67 percent in the second wave. Around 70 percent of the people who lost their lives in the first wave had comorbidities, whereas in the second wave only 41.6% of such cases were seen.
