Second PU and 12th standard students in the state have had a tough and long year. With the recent news emerging of class 10 board exams being called off and CBSE board exams for 12th standard students being postponed, there is a new sense of uncertainty that clouds the air as the state board is yet to take a call on the matter. ISC exams have also been postponed and the IB Board has decided to cancel the class 12 examination.
The state board exam for second PU students is currently scheduled between May and June. ISC had two exams scheduled in April, while the rest have been postponed till June first week.
“This isn’t good for the student’s studies at all, and neither is this good for their mental health. They’ve had an extremely long year and I believe it’s not fair to drag it any longer,” says Swetha S R, mathematics professor at Mount Carmel Pre-University College, Vasanth Nagar.
Usaid Ahmed, student at St Joseph’s Pre-University College, Ashok Nagar, agrees. “With the amount of revision and studying we’ve been doing over the past months, stuck at home, it has all gotten extremely repetitive and boring. The longer this process is stretched, the more we students are going to lose interest even though we don’t want to as it affects our future,” he says.
He thanks his stars for the one offline pre-board exam he was able to take right before the cases started rising in the city. “We would all be in serious trouble if we had not gotten to physically attend the pre-boards. It really helped me get back on track and prepare myself for the final board exams. The online exams were of no help,” he adds.
Sanjana R, student at Jain Pre-University College, JC Road, is in agreement. “All the online exams conducted were of no use at all, even the college faculties know it. Due to a lack of a proper system, students refused to take the online exams seriously,” she says.
The lecturers at St Joseph’s Pre-University College were worried about their students once the online exam results came in. “It was a little startling as we had never seen students perform this bad or show this level of lack of interest. Plus, it was painfully obvious when one had tried to copy. These traits displayed by our students worried us a lot,” says Sowmya S, accountancy professor.
However, post pre-board exams things are looking better say, lecturers. “We are now confident that at least 80 per cent of our students are now ready to take boards. But personally, I’m worried that while most will pass the board examination, our distinction percentage might see a steep fall,” says Mini Saji, economics professor.
With the CBSE board exams being postponed indefinitely, students are unsure about if they should continue revising or take a break. “After the difficult year we’ve had, I had finally mentally prepared myself to give my final exams and was confident with all my revision work. But the exams being postponed indefinitely had made me anxious and uncertain. We just want to move ahead with our life, we are excited for the future despite all odds up against us,” says Shashank B, student at Venkat International Public School, Rajajinagar.
“With exams being postponed and cancelled all around, it’s a shame because we had our students fully prepared for the board examinations. It hurts to see their efforts go to waste,” says Jija Lakshmanan, teacher at Silicon City Academy, Konanakunte.
While ISC just announced the postponing of exams, state board students still wait for a decision to be made on the matter.
“The sooner the decision is made the better, the waiting game plus the pressure of board exams from family and relatives has made me extremely anxious,” says Rohan (name changed), student at Bishop Cotton Boys School, St Marks Road.
Teachers across schools and colleges urge the education board to take swift decisions and put the students out of their misery. “They need to make up their mind about whether the exams are being postponed, are we doing internal assessments or are we sticking with the same dates, we just want confirmation,” says Mini. She believes it is best to postpone as internal assessment is not a feasible option for class 12 exams.
“Irrespective of which educational board you’re a part of or whether your exams have been postponed or not, do not stop studying. Once you stop, you’ll lose the flow,” advises Sowmya.