Coronavirus Hits Educational Sector in India: Schools closed in 21 States; colleges closed in 14
As the second wave of the pandemic hit India, many schools and colleges are again being closed in states all across the country. The deadly nature of the now mutant virus, has forced the administration to postpone and cancel many prestigious examinations that are yearly conducted in the nation.
CBSE Class XII Board examination currently stands postponed, whereas the CBSE Class X examination has been cancelled by the authorities. Following suite of the Central Board, many states board has also taken strong decisions of postponing or cancelling their respective exams, including states of Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana.
List of states who have closed colleges and schools during Coronavirus Pandemic:
| West Bengal | Government announces to shut down all the schools. The WB government has also states that summer vacation for govt. schools will start on May 7, 2021. |
| Odisha | Odisha has suspended physical classes for students of colleges, schools and universities {April 19, 2021, till further orders.} |
| Haryana | All universities & colleges in Haryana will remain closed till April 30, 2021. The Government announces the shutting of schools for Classes 1 to 9 till April 30, 2021. |
| Gujarat | Universities and colleges in the state will remain close till April 30, 2021. Though, online classes will carry on taking place till further notice. Gujarat govt. has decided to mass promote students from classes 1 to 9 and 11. |
| Jammu and Kashmir | The administration announces the shutting of all educational bodies including colleges and universities, till May 15, 2021. |
| Bihar | Educational institutions in Bihar will be closed till May 15, 2021, as stated by CM Nitish Kumar. Examinations are also suspended during this time. |
| Uttar Pradesh | State Government has decided to close all schools in the state till May 15, 2021. |
| Tamil Nadu | Government has asked to shut down all the educational bodies in the state and higher education institutions to switch to online teaching. The semester examinations in the state will also be conducted through online mode. |
| Chhattisgarh | State government has extended lockdown in the cities like Raipur, Raigarh, Korba and Jaishipur, till April 26, 2021. Schools have been closed till further notice. |
| Rajasthan | The state government decided to close all the educational institutions from today, April 19, to May 3, 2021. All university exams in the state have also been postponed till further notice. |
| Maharashtra | The state-imposed online classes for schools and college till further notice. Also, students up to class 11 have been promoted based on their internal marks. Even the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences has postponed its examinations till May 30, 2021. |
| Source | This number is increasing continuously. |
Impact of Coronavirus on Educational Sector in India
Recent reports tell that over 20 states have shut down schools in order to protect the students and prevent the virus from spreading. In a latest update, West Bengal, Bihar and Rajasthan have strictly closed all educational institutions, almost up to May 15, in a desperate attempt to control the spread of Coronavirus.
The pandemic has forced the authorities to postpone the JEE Main April 2021 and NEET PG 2021, for the time being. Whereas, National Testing Agency (NTA) is yet to issue notice regarding NEET UG 2021. Many other government exams as well are currently holding the status of postponed until further notice.
Many national institutes like, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and other prestigious universities and colleges are all facing the severe consequences of the virus. Campus and hostels are being closed and are not allowed to be inhabited. Mass gatherings and meetings are strictly prohibited and heavy fines are imposed on people who break the rules of the lockdown.
Following the notice issued by CBSE, the Class X Board of ICSE was deferred, until further notice. Bihar Board compartmental examination of Class 10th and 12th has recently been postponed owing to the rise in the number of Coronavirus cases.
Along with this, Bihar Government has stated all the schools, colleges and universities to be shut at least up till May 15 for the betterment of the students. Though the examinations stand postponed until further notice. Similar steps have been undertaken by the West Bengal, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Until recently the students of West Bengal, of Class X and XII were attending schools, and with the second wave of the virus. The West Bengal government has been forced to shut down schools up to 7Th May, immediately following which the summer vacation will start. New updates will be soon provided, with the commencement of new notices.
In news, the Tamil Nadu government too took the decision of postponing the XII Board examinations, which were originally to be conducted from 3rd May to 21ST May. The educational institutes, schools and residential hostel of Leh, have been closed including 12th Class up to April 30.
The Administration of Jammu & Kashmir ordered the closure of all educational institutions up to May 15. The government of Rajasthan on 19th April Monday issued a notice, imposing stricter lockdown on all educational institutions in the coming 15 days. The Administration have termed the fortnight as a ‘janushaasan pakhwada’, i.e, Self discipline weeks up to May 3rd for the time being. The Uttarakhand government too, has taken serious steps of postponing the XII board Exam and cancelling the X board exam keeping in mind the staggering number of Coronavirus cases.
Many educational institutions which were formerly preparing on re-opening the school for students for all standards, have again given permission to teachers to take online classes, as a precautionary measure in the wake of the Pandemic. Teachers are forced to technically educate themselves and conduct classes for various standards and subjects. Education all over the nation has now shifted on online platforms and applications. Many states, for instance certain districts in Assam, have orders schools to be shut, if there are 100 active Coronavirus cases in the area, on April 19, 2021.
Coronavirus Educational Announcements
In a recent announcement the NTA declared the postponement of JEE Main April 2021 which were scheduled for 27, 28 and 30 April, and have advised the students to make us of the time by thoroughly preparing with the help of the NTA Test Abhyas app which was first launched in 2020, in order to help the aspirants of NEET UG and JEE Main. The mock test are specially designed to help the students test their aptitude and accordingly improve their skills, time management keeping in mind the marking scheme of the paper.
The NTA has assured that the new date, information and particulars will be soon announced by the latest of 15 days before the conduction of the examination. Aspiring students are also advised to visit the official website of NTA for regular updates or any further notice.
Keeping in mind the recent development of the pandemic many universities have now ordered students to vacate the hostels and have either cancelled or postponed the immediate examinations. For instance, the Bangalore University on April 17, issued a notice that declared the postponement of exams citing the “escalation in Coronavirus situation and transportation problems.”
Premium institutes have also been adversely hit by the pandemic, as a recent report states that even the IITs, witnessed fewer campus placement in the academic year 200. The overall statistics of recruitment were deemed poor than previous academic year.
There are private universities who have taken necessary steps at their end to do the needful. Education now seems to be the worst hit sector of the ongoing pandemic. Important decisions are being taken by the authorities that will serve the life of students. Students nationwide are in the midst of uncertainty and strong actions must be taken to put an end to this uncertainty.
Coronavirus Resets the Educational Sector in India. What is next?
Coronavirus pandemic has set the important exams either to be cancelled or postponed, an environment of panic and uncertainty is clouding the lives of students. Health facilities in major universities have now proved to be inadequate to cater to the need of the students, administrative staff and workers. Different associations are requesting major universities and authorities concerned to improve the healthcare facilities to students and professor.
It is the duty of the administration to provide solid and confirmed decisions regarding various examinations that are to be conducted for the students. On the other hand, it is the duty of the students to maintain a positive attitude and regularly check the official websites for further information regarding the conduction and administration of the exams.
