HRD Minister at your Rescue

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2020 hasn’t quite been the year for many, especially for the students, who were all prepped up for the various upcoming exams. This Pandemic crisis and the lockdown came with a different set of concerns for class 12 students, whose board exams were postponed midway following the outbreak of coronavirus, putting on hold their future plans as well. With many schools and colleges forced to suspend onsite classes, and with the inevitable wait and uncertainty at the doorstep, students and their parents were all caught up in an endless loop of confusion and wait, until official announcements/updates from the government.

Ending some uncertainty for the student community of our country, the HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ came out with most awaited news about the pending class 10 and 12 board exams. It was announced that they will be held from July 1 to 15. While the class 12 exam is pending across the country, the class 10 exams are only pending in North East Delhi, due to the immense impact of the lockdown in these areas.

The HRD Minister also answered the most frequently asked questions by students, teachers, parents and academicians during his press briefing with a National TV Channel. He also stated that we can expect the results of class 10, 12 exams by July-end, and the ministry and government is aiming to reach every student across the length and breadth of the country, and tremendous efforts are being made to impart lessons through different modes including TV and radio. Announcements of new guidelines to be followed post the reopening of schools and colleges was made, and also, he dealt with related queries and questions.

New Educational Reforms our Way

The HRD Minister seemingly undeterred answered a lot of questions and cleared a lot of doubts. India heading towards positive reforms and modifications to the already existing education system is a well-received step from our government. Keeping in view the various safety precautions to be followed by the students, the minister announced that all of the impending exams will be held with strict social distancing norms. In addition, he also added that – ‘No student would have to travel to other schools/colleges for their exams, rather the exams will be conducted within the safety of their own schools’.

He informed that the evaluation process has already begun for the board exams and will continue to be held simultaneously with pending exams. The ministry is pushing towards releasing the results soon and the necessary efforts are being made to declare the results by July-end itself.

Another important question which was addressed to him, was – “When will the schools reopen?”. With 33 crore students across various schools, the decision is still pending from the ministry as the health of students is the top priority for the government, and they are yet to decide on the re-opening dates, but however, NCERT has been asked to create a framework on how to re-open the institutes.

Perhaps the biggest of all the announcements made during the briefing was, the New Education Policy (NEP). Which is being brought into consideration after 33 years. The new policy is aimed at focusing on the country and the emphasis on the regional aspects of India. It will have knowledge, technology and will become the foundation of the new India we all have aspired to become. The ministry has taken suggestions from the highest of educationalists to those from the gram samitis, grassroots of India, and incorporated all in the policy, the minister concluded.