CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021 Wait Agonizing, Say Students; Experts Point Rising Stress. All You Need To Know

CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021 Latest News Update: Save the Board Students cancellation chorus grows as students urge Board to cancel CBSE Class 12 Board exams due to the rising Covid cases. Here’s what students, experts, psychologists have to say about the CBSE Class 12 Board Exams 2021. India.Com brings a detailed report for all concerned with pending CBSE Board Class 12 Exams.

CBSE Class 12 Board Exam Latest News Update: Several experts and educationists India.Com spoke to pointed that the delay in Board exam decision is adding to students’ stress levels alarmingly. At a time when they should have ideally prepared for colleges or course related activities or summer camps, they are under extreme stress.

New Delhi: The suspense over the CBSE Class 12 Board Exams 2021 is now turning out to be agonizing for students across India. With the daily coronavirus cases in India showing little respite, the CBSE has so far maintained a wait and watch policy. On Wednesday, India registered 3,62,727 cases in the last 24 hours while the daily Covid death count hit a grim record with 4,120 deaths. With 533 districts in India registering more than 10 per cent Covid positivity rate and the disease spreading to rural centres in the deadly and ferocious second wave, several students and their parents have demanded complete cancellation of CBSE Class 12 Board Exams 2021. Earlier, the CBSE Class 12 Board Exams 2021 that was scheduled to begin from May 4, 2021, was postponed on April 14 after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Ramesh Pokriyal Nishank. The CBSE on April 14 had announced the cancellation of Class 10 Board Exams. It had left the final decision on Class 12 Board Exams for a later date pending review of the Covid-19 situation.

However, things on the Covid-19 front has hardly brought any good news for the CBSE officials or the education ministry. At present, a total of 13 States in the country have more than 1 Lakh Covid cases each. In the current second wave, it is the rural areas that have become a big worry for the health ministry and have been added to the active caseload amid the battle against the second wave, which has raised global concern.

Young More Vulnerable: ICMR Chief

On Wednesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Chief also stressed that the young people were getting infected slightly more in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We have found that younger people are getting slightly more involved because suddenly they have gone out and there are variants also prevalent in the nation which may be affecting the younger people as well,” ICMR Chief Dr Balram Bhargava said

CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021: Students Take To Twitter

Will CBSE take a risk by going for the exams? It is a question that the students want a quick answer to. Several students India.Com spoke to share the pain and dilemma. “Board Exams are a stressful thing on any given day. This time we also have coronavirus that has almost directly or indirectly affected almost every family. The sooner we know, the better it is for us,” a student from Bokaro City told India.Com.

“Please help students & not wait for June. Many are near breakdown,” a student wrote on Twitter using #SaveBoardStudents.

“Conduct or Cancel,” another student posted on his YouTube channel using the #SaveBoardStudents.

Sir, I am of Class 12. In this pandemic CBSE should cancel the Class 12 Board exam, Sir, we are tortured because in the current situation, taking the exam is very risky sir please help us, with hope,” wrote another student on Twitter, demanding cancellation of CBSE Class 12 Board exams.

Thousands of students have taken to Twitter, demanding the cancellation of CBSE Class 12 Board Exams for 2021 due to the rising Covid-19 cases. Series of reports have suggested that young are more vulnerable in the ferocious second wave. Will CBSE cancel the Board Exams 2021? The students are demanding an early answer as stress and anxiety rises among them. (IANS Photo)

Why CBSE Should Look For An Alternative Assessment Than Conducting Exams

“Delaying exams will further cause anxiety, mental stress and depression among students,” says Advocate Anubha Shrivastava Sahai, who has also been an active students rights activist.

Anubha, who has been in the thick of the things in raising students’ issues on social media and in the Courts, further adds, “It’s going to have an immense negative impact on the mental health of students. Also, there is a chance that a year will be wasted. Students are studying in grade 12 for more than 1.5 years now. It’s high time the government gives them attention.”

But most importantly, “Due to this uncertainty for 12th-grade students, many of them are not able to study for their entrances too they should take some sensible decision asap.”

The Board has already announced the guidelines for assessing Class 10 Board students and issued a policy for the tabulation of marks for Class 10 Board Exams. A similar model can be worked out for Class 12 Board students as well.

What CBSE Class 12 Board Students Should Know

The Board, as per a top official, “Was keeping a close eye on the situation. We will review the same by May 30. A decision will come after the assessment. All factors will be weighed before a decision is reached.”

“Decision on CBSE Class 12 Board Exam will be announced by June 1,” another CBSE official was quoted by a leading portal couple of days ago. The Education Minister RP Nishank has also said that students will be informed well in advance.

What Experts Say About Students’ Stress

“We are stuck in a loop of yes and no when it comes to the Board examination. The better-prepared students would have loved to be done and dusted with the examination, but the delay now is only adding peer pressure for them. The students seem confused and depressed as they have no exact plan of how to take things forward, losing all of their concentration to this,” says psychologist Ms Anuja Kapur.

While most students will accept that there is risk involved in going through with the exams in between this Covid 19 wave, but they would also like to know the way forward. A solution is better than just postponing to help ease the pressure. The government needs to set decisive guidelines regarding the examination, helping the students out in this state of dilemma,” she further adds.

Dr Roma Kumar, Chief Psychologist at emotionally. in. has also similar views. “Students of Class 12, whose exams have been indefinitely postponed are reeling under immense anxiety, panic due to the uncertainty around their examinations,” she says.

“They feel excessively disheartened, uneasy, uncomfortable, restless, helpless and agitated as they have studied online throughout the year to systematically appear in the tests. Though they are studying but are unable to concentrate on anything or relax. Cancellation or postponement of exams can only be a one-time emergency solution and the education system must work out some alternatives that it could fall back upon in any tough situations in the future beyond human control,” Dr Roma Kumar suggests.

Educationists, working with students also raised their concern.

“Now there is a need to act in the best interest of our students. Examinations are simply being rescheduled, but learning continues as before. Now we should just decide and fix a date to avoid any further uncertainty or clarity that needs to be there as it increases the anxiety in the children. We should not lose any time and plan and prepare for an alternative mode of assessment in the event the rise in cases continues. No further postponement should be made,” says Dr Ajeenkya DY Patil, Chairman DY Patil Group.

However, all things so far in the CBSE Board and Ministry of Education indicates that a decision will be taken only after the assessment of the situation at the end of this month. “Will let you know when it is decided,” a CBSE official said when contacted for the story.

Meanwhile, leaving you with some tweets from students as they trend #SaveBoardStudents 

Stress Assessment : https://www.emotionally.in/stress-assessment.html