mid-day editorial: Don't test the patience of students

Exam season is upon us and students across the city are appearing for their HSC exams at different centres. College exams and tenth standard exams are also on the anvil, after which another academic year will come an end and institutions will break for summer holidays.

While pre-Board stress is normal for any student, we saw chaos and confusion reign supreme as the state education board changed exam centres for numerous students at the last minute. There have been reports of several students reaching an exam centre on the first day of HSC tests to find their exam venues had been changed. Adding to the chaos was wrong information floating around social media platforms.

Perhaps the entire fiasco could have been avoided if the students were informed about centre changes at least four days in advance. It's unfair to add on to the stress of students as well as their parents.

It also affects a child's ability to focus on the exam on hand because they are shaken up from the sudden change of venue. Given the huge body spearheading our education system, managing logistics for exams should not have been a problem.

While the department seems to be making progress by counselling students reeling under stress, these last minute goof-ups erase the effects of all those efforts.

Then, there was some confusion about the state's new guidelines pertaining to facilities to be provided to special students - such as allowing them to use an older writer if they cannot find a younger one. College authorities too, seemed perplexed by the guideline, which made the situation worse for special students.

At a time when our students are increasingly getting exposed to global syllabi, efforts need to be made to tackle such hurdles and help in the progress of our future.