Panaji: While rising COVID-19 infections have necessitated the state government to postpone the Goa Board examination, the educationalists have welcomed the decision but with the concern over students’ future.
Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Chairman Bhagirath Shetye said on Tuesday that they have been adopting the “wait and watch” policy after postponing the examination for tenth and twelfth standard.
He said that the decision was taken by the State government owing to the rising COVID-19 infections in the coastal state. Shetye said that the future of these examinations would be decided after April 30, considering the pandemic situation then in the state.
Goa-based educationist Narayan Desai, reacting to the current imbroglio, said “current scenario is a difficult situation for education overall.”
Goa-based educationist Narayan Desai, reacting to the current imbroglio, said “current scenario is a difficult situation for education overall.”
“We didn’t have any option left other than postponing the Board exams. 2020 and 2021 are quite challenging for students and faculty members as they have been thrown to a completely different ball game altogether,” he said.
“Sometimes shift to online and then again shifting to offline or hybrid education has affected the students both mentally and socially,” said Dessai, a retired Principal of the Higher Secondary School himself. “Their future is quite in flux as nobody knows how the situation would be in the near future. All the autonomous governing education bodies are ruled by political power,” Desai added.
Educational experts like Captain Amardeep, Founder and Director, Tritya Group of Institutions said that the decision to postpone the Board examination was “thoughtful move.”
“The government’s decision of postponing class12 exams is quite a thoughtful move. But, if we see the long-term effect of delaying the exams, we can estimate that it will cause a ripple effect in the education space,” he said.
“It will adversely affect the students’ plans to prepare for competitive tests and secure admissions for Undergraduate (UG) degree programmes in overseas colleges and universities,” he added.