The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest at the Ministry of Education on Friday demanding the cancellation of class 12 board examinations in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The student wing of the Congress party said in a statement that the protesters wore PPE kits and followed Covid protocols while raising the slogan "'pehle suraksha, phir pariksha' (first safety, then exams)".
NSUI national president Neeraj Kundan said, "A few days ago I wrote a letter to the ministry reminding them that they have not yet come up with any guideline or policy to ensure the safety of those below the age of 18 and a majority of the students are below this age."
"The lack of planning for the board exams will harm the academic year of these students. The only solution for saving their academic year is now to promote them by internal assessments rather than wasting more time on discussing examinations," he said.
The NSUI demanded that the government should find an alternative to the examinations as India is battling a second wave of coronavirus infection.
"The government can grade the students on the basis of their past performances, assignments or classroom assessments, but risking the lives of these students is an insensitive decision," the NSUI said. '