Tribune News Service Chandigarh March 15 The Chandigarh Parent Association (CPA) has written to UT Adviser Manoj Parida requesting online conduct of examination at schools in view of a surge in Covid-19 cases. All schools of Chandigarh were earlier closed. However as the Covid situation improved the Education Department decided to conduct offline exams at the government schools and the private schools were also allowed to conduct exams in the offline mode. The appeal sent by association reads: “All government schools and a few private schools have been conducting compulsory offline exams for various classes since the last week of February. It is during this period only that the city has witnessed a steep rise in positive cases of Covid-19. While there were 120 active cases in February we have about 1088 active cases of Covid in Chandigarh at present. Even the GMCH-32 had to close down its OPD to prevent the spread of virus. Most government offices including the Estate Office are closed for public dealing. However the city schools continue to remain open while students and teachers are getting infected almost each day. “The CBSE has postponed the board examinations for classes X and XII till May-June. However the purpose of this postponement stands defeated since most schools in Chandigarh are conducting pre-board examinations at this time when Covid is at its peak.” The association has pointed out that Panjab University is also conducting examinations online for all classes and the UT Administration has already ordered to keep the primary schools closed. The students of classes VI to XII are being asked to appear for offline examinations while there is no scientific basis to classify this age group of students as more immune than others. The parents voiced their concerns over schools becoming potential hotspots of Covid transmission considering that many state governments including the Punjab Government have ordered the closure of all schools except the board classes of X and XII. Social distancing goes for a toss A student of GMSSS-35 D requesting anonymity said: “I took my first offline exam on March 12. In the rooms there were four rows of benches and almost 30 students were sitting in each room. There was no social distancing and the students of the adjacent rows had only one-metre distance in between. After school students gathered in groups without masks.”

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