Government unsure about Class X, XII Exams

With exams in Kashmir just two weeks away as per the academic calendar, the government seems to be unclear about how to go ahead and hold the exams, particularly of Class X and XII.
The annual board exams in the Valley start in October. The students, who are confined to their homes for the past more than two months, have not even completed half of their syllabus. They are clueless about the date of the exams.
An official of the Department of Education said if they curtailed the syllabus or delayed the exams, it would impact the whole education system in Kashmir.
“It is a challenging situation for us. If we curtail the syllabus of Class XII, how will the students, who have completed only 50 per cent of their syllabus, appear in competitive exams next year. This will destroy the education system. They will not be able to compete,” the official said.
“Another challenge for us is that if we delay the exams, it will create problems for the winter zones of Rajouri and Poonch,” he said.
The official said that in a series of meeting with private school owners and other stakeholders, they were thinking to hold classes in October and then hold the exams in November.
“We held a meeting with the private schools on Friday in which challenges for holding exams on time were discussed,” the official said. He said even postponing the exams of colleges and universities was not feasible as it would affect the new academic year.
“We cannot curtail the syllabus every year and delay the exams. This is destructive for the education system,” said a senior official in the Department of Education.
Despite several meetings between the government and the stakeholders, they have failed to find a way to reopen the schools.
The current unrest in Kashmir has affected more than 15 lakh schoolchildren.
President of Private Schools Association GN War said the better option for the government was to defer the exams as the students had not completed their syllabus. “It would be better if the exams are delayed as the students must complete the whole syllabus otherwise they won’t be able to pass competitive exams. But it can only be done once everything returns to normal in Kashmir,” War said.