key: cord-0824358-ow3cfqv8 authors: Roy, Bulton; Roy, Anamika title: Conducting Examinations in India: Emergency, Contention and Challenges of Students amidst Covid-19 Pandemic date: 2020-11-30 journal: Child Youth Serv Rev DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105768 sha: 8433a05037f4e57fe9f2129e6a0a63a2eda0dd58 doc_id: 824358 cord_uid: ow3cfqv8 The paper examines ‘exam emergency’ in India through an engaging dialogue of importance, dissension, and contention over conducting all the annual entrance examinations amidst this covid-19 pandemic that have been postponed earlier due to nationwide lockdown. Drawing on the pre-exam living experiences, this paper presents the challenges and problems of student communities and the insecurities of their mental and physical health risks while they are preparing and appearing for their scheduled entrance tests. The paper finds no concrete attempt of negotiations from the authorities to channel majoritarian concerns. The lack of preparation from government and exam authorities to facilitate students in this crisis period has finally made many to fail writing their exam papers and left them behind with unfulfilled dreams. Many have argued that assessment could be done based on student's previous semester's 113 performances or internal marks or any other ways without any exams. Tough this way 114 possibility remains that many students would feel deprived, UGC seems unconvinced. Former 115 UGC Chairman Ved Prakash explained (cited in Kumar, 2020) "if a degree is awarded average 116 marking, a student who has been toiling hard to improved his performance, scores and grading 117 will be deprived ( of a fair assessment)". In this distress situation of uncertainties, the most relevant question that has led the contention 120 into fire amongst the stakeholders is that how the admission process would be conducted in 121 those institutions where entrance test is compulsory and admission is strictly based on the 122 performances made on the test. 123 Over seven million students are expected to appear in various annual entrance exams for 124 admission in many courses among India's prestigious institutions that include IITs, AIIMs, and 125 other technical and medical institutions along with various reputed central universities, all are 126 lined up to be held in September (see table 1 ). As these entrance exams cannot be given from 127 sitting at home and demand students to be presented physically in the allotted exam centres, it 128 throws questions over the legitimacy of conducting exams in these pandemic times. Students 129 have high chances to be exposed to the virus and how would govt. address health risks to such 130 a huge number of students. Surprisingly past experiences have revealed a big question that 131 justifies student's concern for their health risk. Many important entrance exams have already 132 been conducted in the states of Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh during this peak covid times at the 133 end of July and August. Shocking news reported that students have shown covid-19 positive 134 symptoms just after they wrote their exam papers. In Kerala, 5 students have already shown 135 positive symptoms after they come back home from exam centres 1 . Now when these students, which are millions in number will appear for exams how they can 137 be assured that same would not happen again. Unfortunately, if any wrong happens who would 138 be responsible for driving student's life at risk, made students and their parents worried about. stating "ultimately life has to go on and the career of the students cannot be put on peril for 161 long and a full academic year cannot be wasted". The result would have added more clarity over the number concerned. It is noticed during interviews that many respondents find this argument as an absurd take. Priya Sarkar, a NEET 185 aspirant said the minister's statement is totally unacceptable because downloading admit cards 186 can never be judged to showcase student's willingness. Such an attempt never assures any 187 surety for the presence in exam centres. "We (aspirants) download admit cards before the scheduled date not to show our 189 willingness to sit exams, but to check where we have been allotted centres so we can 190 make arrangements accordingly". 191 To mention one of the utmost reasons behind such disagreement is the fear of covid-19 and 192 high risks of exposure to this deadly infectious virus that is letting students stand against the 193 date schedule. As informed by many of the respondents, they are opposing just to hold these 194 delayed exams a little back further, for at least two months until daily cases are reduced or once 195 after they get vaccinated. that she had a longing to study at BHU. She was well prepared for the entrance test but finally 203 had to leave her dream as her parents wouldn't allow her to study in Banaras. They are scared 204 and cannot take the risk to leave their daughter alone in an unknown city amidst this pandemic. (Mathew, 2020) . Due to such local and regional lockdowns, public transport is not available in 214 the required numbers. Manas Chandra, an entrance exam aspirant from Bihar raised his concern 215 mentioning his village is flooded and he doesn't have any centre nearby. BBC News report 6 216 reveals his nearest exam centre is 90 km away, this made him worried whether he could afford 217 to appear in the exam centre. 218 "How will I get to my centre? There is no public transport. And if I get infected who 219 is going to be held responsible?" 220 Another important concern is that due to the closure of coaching centres most of the aspirants So far it is all known that all the delayed exams will be conducted and these will be taken on 241 their given dates. But the question remains, are the students mentally prepared for their exams in these hazardous During the primary survey when respondents were asked regarding their preparation, most of 254 them almost 90% informed they are not mentally prepared. Many have cited exam dilemma and several difficulties they faced as major reasons. They told that they couldn't concentrate 256 on their study as there was no surety for conducting exams. According to a study by 257 YourDOST 7 (2020) in the early period of lockdown finds "60 per cent Indian college students 258 experiencing high to stress from the exam". Another study by them through the lockdown 259 period finds students are worst-hit mentally which reports "highest net deterioration in their A similar problem goes with another respondent, Mithun Roy, who is studying at the University 280 of Delhi. He had left Delhi just two days before the lockdown was announced with no study 281 materials in his hand. Lockdown was so sudden and the situation in Delhi was alarming that he 282 had to come back to a safe place in his village in West Bengal. Both the stories reveal that 283 though they had enough resources to study and prepare well, all were unutilised. They could 284 not use the resources they have collected keeping in mind for this net exam and thus now in a 285 position when they cannot be more confident. Adding to this, another respondent said she had utilised this gap well. This has helped her to 287 revise her syllabus. She has also informed that though she is well prepared but she doesn't want 288 exams to be held in September in this high covid time. She raised concern that there are so 293 There is no surety that students wouldn't be exposed to this contagious corona infection while 294 they approach their exam centres and gather in large numbers. However to make students and 295 their parents convinced and to check their health risks the government has assured that they 296 will provide health safety. Following this, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has issued a 297 guideline giving details for a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to conduct exams 298 with various safety measures. The SOPs mandate from maintaining social distancing to 299 disinfecting exam centres. From wearing face masks and hand gloves to checking out body 300 temperature among many (NTA, 2020). It is seen that the government is half prepared and their taken safety measures are not adequate 302 at all. The NTA issued guideline have not mentioned any safety measures for parents and guardians of students who will be sitting for exams. Possibly students, especially girls would 304 not come all alone travelling a distant journey. When they will write their papers, their parents 305 and guardians will wait for outsides and of course, they will be in large numbers. NTA has 306 made no mention of their safety and has left them at their peril to manage their safety in their 307 own ways. Back to student's safety, all the safety measures, though inadequate are only confined in the 309 exam centre. The guideline states the students will be allowed to enter the centre following 310 social distancing and checking their body temperature with a tempo gun, followed by sanitizing 311 exam halls and other measures. Many interviewees raised concerns that these steps wouldn't 312 assure any guarantee for their health safety. Priya mentions, 313 "If anyone takes paracetamol who has high temperature before entering the hall, there 314 would be no validity for checking up temperature". 315 Some of the respondents who have already given exams informed that when they were entering 316 their centres every measure followed perfectly but when they were coming out after the exam, 317 there was no follow-up from authorities. Students were not even maintaining social distancing. Parents who were waiting outside had to manage their own safety. There is no provision to ensure any travel and accommodation facilities to those students whose 320 centres are far from their places. Students had to face a tough time while reaching out to their 321 centres. Many had to travel a long distance as they had no choice to select centres nearby. For 322 JEE (Main), the number of centres was too low despite a huge number of aspirants that count 323 almost 9.5 lakhs. NTA has increased only 90 extra centres across the country, from 570 to 660. This was undoubtedly inadequate. The ratio between the number of students and available 325 centres shows more than 2000 in many states (see table 3 ). For other exams especially central 326 universities, this ratio is far beyond the imagination. Delhi University has arranged exams centres in only 24 cities for almost two lakh entrance aspirants. This reveals how difficult it 328 was for students who had to travel a long way to appear for exam centres with a lack of 329 transportation and accommodation which is still closed in most cities. Many had reported that 330 they had to leave home too early so that they could reach exam centres on time. Media report 331 follow-up reveals that in West Bengal due to heavy rain and lack of transport facilities students 332 started early to reach their centres. Ropak's experience reported by Takur and Giri (2020) in 333 Hindustan Times shows he has started around 3:30 am and travelled almost 120 kms by his 334 father's bike from Ghatal in West Midnapore to reach his centre at Salt Lake in Kolkata. "There is no examination centre in West Midnapore. We had to take a detour along 336 the route as some parts of Ghatal are flooded and two bridges on our usual route are 337 now underwater. We had to start early to reach on time" 338 Moreover, the lack of public transport facilities has led many to manage private vehicles hiring 339 at a good cost. This has made many to blame the government for not ensuring transportation In every exam which was conducted so far, the drop-out rate of registered candidates was 352 almost from 20% to 30% except some states which record almost 45% drop out rates (see table 353 4). In West Bengal, the dropout rate for the JEE exam was recorded at 43% due to lack of 354 transportations 9 . to students. The lack of preparation in this difficult time has led many students to skip out. They are stressed, worried and are in mental trauma. The future of such students who couldn't 376 attend their exam centres, remain unanswered. The validity of such an exam emergency is now being questioned as it's failing to ensure the 378 attendance of the maximum number of aspirants to their respective tests. Government with half 379 preparation has just assumed that they have taken care of students, saving their academic loss.  Safety measures taken by government and exam authorities are inadequate 111 killed, 8 million affected due to floods in Assam, Bihar since 5 students who wrote KEAM exam in Kerala contract coronavirus About 90% of students against exams amid pandemic, finds AIDSO survey Take this pandemic moment to improve education JEE-NEET exams: Aspirants in distress; Sangh IT cell 449 campaigns to discredit their concerns Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India Advisory regarding COVID-19 for all functionaries 93% students don't want exams during pandemic Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Higher Education and 460 Research. the-Universities-in-view Education: From disruption to recovery Mental Health Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic & Nationwide 473 Image 1: Students are on hunger strike in protest against examinations in pandemic Bulton Roy: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data collection, Supervision, Writing-original Anamika Roy: Conceptualization, Data collection, Writing-reviewing and editing