Telangana defers SSC exams after HC bars Hyderabad due to high number of COVID-19 cases

The Telangana government, on Saturday late evening, decided to suspend the SSC examinations scheduled to be held from Monday.

The decision was taken following the Telangana High Court orders on Saturday allowing the Chandrasekhar Rao government to conduct the Secondary School Certificate examinations in the state, barring Hyderabad where positive cases are surging.

The 10th exams which first began on March 19 were suspended after two papers because of the increasing COVID-19 cases and the subsequent imposition of the lockdown.

In a revised schedule, the education department had announced to conduct the remaining exams from June 8 till July 5 with a two-day gap between two papers.

Though the HC allowed the government to conduct exams in rest of the state, the education department apparently opined that it would be a complicated and futile exercise since results would have to be announced for all at the same time. Besides, the HC has reportedly asked the government to review the pandemic situation at the centres every week to continue with exams there.

An announcement on exams is expected after a review by Chief Minister Rao.

Alarming proportion of cases from Hyderabad

While Telangana has a total of 3496 COVID-19 cases till Saturday night, most of these cases are from Hyderabad. Out of the 206 fresh cases of Saturday, 152 are from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area. Out of the 143 fresh cases on Friday, 116 are from here.

Thus, earlier in the day, the High Court disallowed exams in the GHMC jurisdiction comprising Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts.

Hyderabad students along with those from other districts unable/unwilling to appear now were allowed to write the advanced supplementary exams at a later date as regular exams, as a special case for this year alone.

The exam decision was earlier challenged in the HC by one Bala Krishna Mandapati raising concerns about the safety of children congregating at the exam centres in the pandemic time.

Though stating exams are an essential part of the education system, the HC has placed the well-being of children above everything. The Telangana education department then assured the court of all necessary precautions including change of exam centres from smaller to larger schools, colleges.

Child rights activists critical of “the government’s insistence” to go-ahead with the schedule, have now welcomed the suspension decision. “The education department has unnecessarily ventured into conducting 10th exams despite opposition from various quarters. It should realize the coronavirus spread and act sensibly. Exams should be conducted only when a normal situation prevails,” Achyuta Rao, honorary president, Balala Hakkula Sangham told DH.