Mysore/Mysuru: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the globe, BJP MLC A.H. Vishwanath has urged the Government to cancel SSLC exam in the State considering the safety and well-being of children.

Addressing a press meet here yesterday, Vishwanath said that the Government must not hold SSLC exam for any reason under the present circumstances. The Government has to take responsibility for any unsavoury happenings that may take place if it went ahead with the conduct of exam, he said.

Maintaining that the deadly pandemic is still very much existent, the MLC said that even the Health Minister has warned of a Delta virus attack if COVID appropriate behaviour is not followed by the people. He wondered why Primary and Secondary education Minister S. Suresh Kumar is unable to understand the possible consequences of holding the exam during COVID crisis.

Continuing, Vishwanath said that the Union Government has cancelled the 12th standard CBSE exam and several States too have cancelled the tenth standard board exam. Wondering why the Government is hell bent on conducting SSLC exam when it has cancelled the PU exam, he termed the  Education Minster’s decision to go ahead with SSLC exam for younger children as unscientific and illogical. Charging Suresh Kumar of taking a unilateral decision, he said that the Minister was playing with the lives of 8.5 lakh SSLC students.

Pointing out that the Education Department should be a model to other departments, Vishwanath said that the syllabus has not been covered due to COVID crisis. Noting that children are not vaccinated, he wondered what was the necessity for the conduct of the exam when the State was reeling under the second wave of COVID attack.

Noting that the Education Department has said that the SSLC exam would be of a different type this time, Vishwanath said that this would be an impediment for rural students. 

Highlighting the difficulties of rural students in attending online classes for which a computer is required, the MLC observed that many rural students cannot afford one due to financial constraints and this had hindered their learning. He also wanted to know whether the Government was placing hurdles in the learning of students from Dalit, minorities, oppressed and other marginalised communities by going ahead with the conduct of exam which he said was on unequal terms, with urban students having a clear advantage over their rural counterparts in online learning.