MBSE 12th exam 2020 to go ahead despite protests

Aizawl, Apr 18: The Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) will resume class-12 board examination from April 22 despite opposition from a section of students and the Centre's guidelines which said that all educational institutions would remain suspended till May 3 for enforcing the lockdown. The High School Leaving Certificate(HSSLC) examination will be held from April 22 to April 24 for the remaining subjects in Arts, Science and Commerce streams, a notification issued by the MBSE said on Friday.

It will be conducted in all the examination centres across the state, the notification said.
The board asked the students concerned to appear in the nearest centre or a centre of their choice.

State Education minister Lalchhandama Ralte had announced the resumption of the examination on Wednesday, saying it was inevitable as the board exam was abruptly suspended due to imposition of nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

The state cabinet and a meeting of all political parties, NGOs, churches and student bodies on Monday had suggested re-commencement of the exams.

Ralte said that about 4,700 students are yet to complete their board exams.

On Thursday, a group of students had launched a no exam campaign on Instagram and other social media platforms demanding the postponement of the re-scheduled exams.

The students complained that many students, who were outside the state and those who were staying in their villages after the nationwide lockdown, will be inconvenienced due to restriction of movement.

They also blamed the state government for backtracking from its earlier decision to resume the examinations after the lockdown period.

Siaha district deputy commissioner Bhupesh Chaudhary on Thursday in a letter to the controller of examination of the MBSE had informed him that the notification to re-commence the board examinations was a clear violation of the MHA guidelines and therefore, no board exams would be allowed within Siaha district.

"The notification for re-commencement of HSSLC (Arts, Science and Commerce) examination from April 22 in Siaha is a clear violation of the MHA order and therefore, no exemption can be accorded to the conduction of the class-12 board examinations," Chaudhary said in the letter.

In its consolidated guidelines issued on April 15 to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, the MHA said that all educational, training, coaching institutions, among others will remain suspended till May 3.