Srinagar, Mar 24: Amid hue and cry from stakeholders, the J&K State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) said that the class 8th examinations were postponed after receiving representations from the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) and J&K Service Selection Board (SSB).
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director SCERT Prof Parikshit Singh Manhas said the SCERT announced the postponement of the class 8th examination to avoid clashes in exams conducted by other organisations in government and to avoid inconveniences for the students in snow-bound areas.
SCERT has also received an official communication from SSB stating that the organisation was holding exams on March 10 and 17, 2024, which were coinciding with the date sheet announced by SCERT for class 8th students.
“It has been learnt that the SCERT has issued a date sheet for the conduct of examinations for class 8th on different dates including March 10 and 17, 2024. On the same days, SSB is conducting examinations for the post of Sub Inspector and Inspector,” reads a letter addressed to Director SCERT.
“In this connection, I am directed to request you to kindly reschedule the examination scheduled by SCERT for March 10 and 17 and also not to fix any exam on the other dates for which SSB has already notified the examination calendar as all the necessary steps are being taken up in coordination with the district administration for the said examination,” it reads.
The SSB has scheduled the exam for the Patwari post on March 31 as well.
In a separate communication, the DSEK has said that the date sheet notified by DIET Bandipora for classes 1st to 9th from March 20 was not feasible for the students hailing from Gurez who are presently stuck in Bandipora and other areas due to the closure of roads.
Gurez falls in a hard zone which remains cut off during winters.
“CEO Bandipora has submitted that many representations have been received by him to postpone the examinations for students of Gurez and is a very pressing demand. Keeping in view these facts, it is requested to issue necessary instructions to the concerned to postpone the examinations for the students of Gurez for about a week and by the time the connectivity to Gurez is restored, students will get ample time to reach back to their respective residences,” reads a communication received from DSEK.
Director SCERT said that to maintain uniformity and to avoid clashes with exams organised by other boards like SSB, the class 8th exams were postponed.
The SCERT also received a representation from the Christian community wherein it was stated that the class 8th examination scheduled for March 29 coincides with Good Friday.
“It will be difficult for the students of the Christian community to write exams on the day which is being celebrated as the holy festival. We request the SCERT to reschedule the exam of March 29,” reads a representation received from President All India Masih Seva Dal Camres David.
The SCERT received severe criticism for the postponement of all the examinations of scheduled papers of class 8th.
The stakeholders raised questions over the ill preparation of the officers tasked to conduct the class 8th examination in the hard and soft zones of J&K.
However, the Director clarified that there were no ill preparations or other issues which forced the SCERT to postpone the exams.
“The exam was postponed only to acknowledge the representations received from different quarters,” he said.