Aaditya Thackeray to PM Narendra Modi: Holding exams now can be risky

Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray. Pic/Twitter Aaditya Thackeray

Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting his personal intervention regarding the "health risk" that the proposed exams of several streams and entrance exams would have for students.

Taking to Twitter, Thackeray posted the letter and wrote, "I have written to the Hon'ble Prime Minister, Narendra Modi Ji on the health risk that the proposed exams of various streams, and entrance exams, would have for students and families across India and for his personal intervention."

In the letter, he has stated that while most of our country is still working from home due to increasing COVID numbers, various institutions and universities for professional and non-professional courses have been trying to schedule examinations. "This isn't a practical and feasible option sir, as most states are facing increasing numbers of COVID, along with red zones still in place and transport yet to resume," Thackeray wrote.

"More so sir, wherever in the world schools and colleges have reopened, a large number of COVID cases have been found. In our country, most students live with their parents and grandparents, and the infection, if at all, can be fatal," he added. The system for even a single paper would include not just students, but teachers, non-teaching staff, and much more of the state apparatus, most of whom are in the high-risk group, he stated.

"Sir, I humbly request you to intervene and postpone all academic activity to do with physical or online examinations across the country, for all professional courses, including entrance exams," wrote Thackeray.

For the non-professional courses, most of their academic assessment has been carried out and the final examination wouldn't amount to more than 10 per cent of the assessment, hence they may be passed on a marking system devised by the universities. We may also think of starting our academic year from January 2021 instead of June-July 2020 so that no student loses the academic year, he added.

"Sir, I am sure with this intervention, we would be able to prevent a larger spike in infection and contribute our fight in keeping our citizens safe," Thackeray stated.

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