After SC warning, Andhra Pradesh cancels Class 10 exams and intermediate 2nd years exams

The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday announced the cancellation of class 10 and intermediate (class 11 and 12) board exams in the state. In view of the Supreme Court (SC) orders on June 24, which required the state to complete exams before July 31, it has been decided that the Board of Intermediate exams for 2021 will stand cancelled, Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Audimulapu Suresh said at a press conference. 

Andhra Pradesh Education Minister said, "After consulting with the Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education officials, who informed that conducting exams, evaluation and results declaration would take at least 40 days, apart from having to notify students of the exam schedule 15 days beforehand, it was decided that it is not feasible to conduct exams in such a tight schedule before July 31, he said. The alternative grading method will be announced soon.'

SC directs states to declare class 12 exams result by July 31, Andhra Pradesh Warned

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed state boards to notify their system for internal assessment within 10 days from today and declare the results by July 31 for both CBSE and ICSE exams. Meanwhile, the apex court warned the Andhra Pradesh Government over its decision to conduct physical exams for Class 12 tentatively in the last week of July. Ridiculing the Government's decision to have only 15 students per hall, Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari raised the question of how the government will arrange over 28,000 rooms as nearly 5 lakh students are expected to appear for the exams. The bench expressed their distrust over Government's claim that COVID safety protocols will be followed. 

As per the calculation, the state government will require at least 30,000 exam halls and the court doubted if that is possible. The top court asked the YSRC-Government representative if they have any concrete formula to show that exams can be safely conducted. Emphasizing on the risk of the Government's decision, the bench expressed their concerns by mentioning that there is no guarantee of what will happen during the last week of July as reports of a possible third wave are taking rounds. 

While hearing the case, the court observed that state authorities are not laying down a specific timeline for exams which is making the situation uncertain. The Supreme Court explained to the Government solicitor that at least 15 days prior notice is required for the students. Understanding the seriousness of the condition, the court told Government that it will be held responsible for any causality. 

COVID-19 situation in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh has so far recorded over 18,62,036 positive cases, out of which, 17,98,380 have successfully recovered and 12,452 have died. As per the latest reports from MoHFW, in the past 24 hours, 4,684 new cases, 7,324 recoveries and 36 deaths have been reported. Currently, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state is 51,204. 

(Image: PTI, Twitter-@YSJagan)