SSLC Examinations: Testing Times
Finally, the state government has decided to go ahead and conduct the SSLC examination, subjecting itself to one of the most crucial tests yet in office. More than eight lakh students are appearing for the examination being conducted in more than 3000 centres. The Department of Public Instruction has released a manual with guidelines on the safety measures students should adopt while appearing for the examination. This time, students are facing the specter of dual examinations – the textbook-based examination and the one induced by the coronavirus.
The government, on its part, has taken several precautions including providing free transport to students, but it is still not clear how successfully these measures can be implemented on the ground. Conducting the examination smoothly is the real challenge for the government. A failure to do so will make the government pay a heavy price in more ways than one.
From the perspective of students, they have had enough time and opportunity to make adequate preparations for the examination. But the fact that they need to appear for the examination in the backdrop of the coronavirus and the anxiety and confusion arising out of it is adding to their pressure.
Although the government claims it has left no stone unturned in ensuring a glitch-free conduct of the examination, doubts are being raised about its preparedness as many departments, with whose cooperation the examination is conducted annually, were shut down due to the lockdown. The possibility of conducting the examination itself was in doubt till very recently. Now, after the lockdown has been eased and the number of coronavirus infected persons has increased dramatically, the government is again contemplating imposing another lockdown. Public transport is not yet fully operational with the staff hesitating to report for duty.
Students and parents have many battles to contend with. Parents are caught in a bind having to choose between exams and the health of their children. Many parents who consider SSLC examination as a gateway to their children’s future might not hesitate to send the children to take the examination. Many others, however worried they are about the health of their children, are forced to make their children write the examination under peer pressure.
Regardless of the challenges that parents, students, and the administration grapple with, it is the duty of both the parents and teachers to make sure that children are equipped to handle the examination and the challenges of the coronavirus with ease. If students fail in the examination, they get a second chance. However, if they are unduly distressed or completely negligent about the coronavirus, the consequences could be disastrous.
It is a fact that students don’t have adequate information about the coronavirus and might be overly anxious, thanks to continuous sensational TV reportage. Having to face the anxiety over the Corona and the examination pressure at the same time can push students into a state of depression. The need of the hour is not only to create awareness about the coronavirus but also to prevent unnecessary anxiety around it. A student coughing or sneezing, a common occurrence during rainy season, should not trigger unnecessary fear. Maintaining social distance becomes the key now more than ever.
The role of parents in making sure that children do not harbor unnecessary fear cannot be emphasized enough. Parents who live in fear will not be in a position to create awareness in their children. Unnecessary fear can lead to both mental and physical health issues. It is also possible that children experience high levels of anxiety if one of their friends sitting close by coughs. It is the duty of parents to educate them about the virus, its symptoms, and its potency to harm us. It is equally important to convey that, despite taking all precautionary measures, if one comes in contact with an infected person, it might not have any undue repercussions. The infected person would be free of the infection in seven days, but it might affect students whose immunity levels are low. Appropriate and effective messaging about the coronavirus and its impact becomes significant.
But the most important factor is to ensure that any student who shows symptoms of Corona infection is taken care of at home and not allowed to appear for the examination and it is the sole responsibility of parents to do so. Hundreds of students die of suicide due to the pressure of SSLC and PUC examinations annually and this year, they are being tested twice over. The 2020 SSLC examination is not only a milestone for students but parents, teachers, and school managements as well and let us hope all of them emerge successful.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
