NAGPUR: A Government Resolution has announced that schools must not conduct exams between January 1 and March 15, 2011, as a large number of teachers will be busy with census.
The School Education Department has issued a notification dated November 26, 2010, in this regard following a letter by the Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, Dr C Chandramouli.
Though the GR may have been issued in interest of teachers, the ground realities are different. Anxious parents, students, teachers and school authorities believe this decision will lead to total chaos as January-March is the most crucial part of an academic year. A lot of planning and clear demarcation of duties along with deployment of additional non-teaching staff will be required to ensure that the census does not interfere with academics. Teachers are hard-pressed this time of the year to complete the syllabus for the year-end final exams, both for primary and secondary sections. Those who teach students of Class X and XII are worst-placed as they have to prepare students for practical exams and hold prelims too in this period.
Authorities in Nagpur, however, admitted that they are yet to begin preparations for the census as they haven't received the notification yet. Additional municipal commissioner Vishnupad Bute said, "We are yet to get any letter but I have read some reports in newspapers. We will definitely have to plan things in an effective manner but we will wait until any official confirmation comes." There are rumours that board exams may be postponed this year, the dates of which have already been announced. This has left teachers and students completely confused. Students and parents fear that this new arrangement will most probably spoil their plans for a summer vacation in 2011.
Thousands of primary and high school teachers from across government-aided schools have been deployed for the phase two of 2011 Census in India, which involves gathering information about social and economic status of the population. Teachers will also be busy gathering information for the government's Unique Identification Card (UID) scheme between March 1 and 5. The government will also be holding workshops to train teachers for the census, which will again eat into academic hours. The fate of open book tests hangs in balance. The scholarship exams for students in Class IV and V may also be postponed to the end of March.
Deepak Gokhale, principal, CP and Berar High School, said, "teaching has become a secondary priority. All these schemes are leading to total chaos. Officers of education department are controlling schools and we are totally handicapped." He pointed that education system was such that a teacher who conducted classes for Class XII may also be teaching students of Class IX. Chandramani Borkar, divisional chairman of State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Nagpur office said, "A delegation of teachers met me requesting postponement of board exams but I flatly refused. If exams are postponed, vacations and the admission process will be thrown out of sync. Anyways, only 25 percent of teachers are involved in the census work and we can easily manage with the rest." Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is short of non-teaching staff too. Who will conduct the exams when teachers are busy remains a question.
