Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Wednesday has urged the Centre to set a time frame for conduct of the Board and Higher Secondary Examinations during the academic session 2020-21.
In a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stated that the students and parents are worried due to the absence of clarity on the academic session and examinations of both Standard-X and XII.
"As all competitive entrance examinations and admission in institutions of Higher Education are interlinked, national guidelines with tentative timelines will help the States for framing appropriate strategy. It will also help students who are anxious about the examination dates to plan and prepare accordingly", the letter read.
"Therefore, I would request the Union Government to bring clarity on time frame for conduct of the Board and Higher Secondary Examinations and duration of academic session 2020-21," the CM approached.
Patnaik informed the Prime Minister that despite closure of schools in State in view of the safety and security of students due to Covid-19 pandemic, the government has tried to reach out to maximum number of students digitally through different modes. But, but it is not possible to cover all students and prepare them for class and competitive examinations.
Notably, the schools and other educational institutions across the State have remained closed till December 31.
The State government decided to keep the schools closed for the rest of the year in apprehensions of a possible second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the government has allowed teachers and staff for conducting online teaching and telecounselling outside the containment zones.