Parties’ chorus to cancel Class 10 exams

Chennai

Leader of Opposition MK Stalin urged the state government to conduct Class 10 exams only after the students and their parents feel confident that there was no danger from COVID-19. Stalin also cautioned the government not to gamble with the lives of the students for hidden benefits.

Urging the state government, which was implementing a “disease development programme” without caring about the future of students and lives of people, to immediately cancel the Class 10 examination, Stalin, in a statement issued on Monday, referred to COVID-19 positive numbers crossing the 30,000 mark in Tamil Nadu and said the fears of the people have increased after reports suggesting that the novel coronavirus has mutated with more virulence.

“Is it fair to conduct Class 10 exam in Tamil Nadu which has 33,329 COVID-19 infected people, while Telangana with 3,650 patients has cancelled the exams and declared all students as passed?” Stalin asked, advising Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to emulate Telangana CM.

“When COVID-19 infection is at peak it is not just dangerous to conduct SSLC exams but is also atrocious. Even though social distancing is observed in examination halls, it will be a big punishment for students to wear face masks continuously for three hours,” said PMK founder S Ramadoss in a tweet.

“Even though a minimum of 100 students write in an exam centre they had to use a common toilet in all five days of their exams. Those five days are enough for COVID-19 to spread,” he added.

MDMK leader Vaiko and VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan too demanded the cancelation of the Class 10 exams and wanted the government to pass all the students.