Class X, XII students forced to travel long distances for exams

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, February 19

The confusion over the distance of examination centres for classes X and XII of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has left the students in the lurch.

An order was issued in December last year for to allot exam centres to students in schools other than those they are enrolled in. A communication on January 10 further said the distance of the centres should not be more than 7 km from the students’ current location. In another order on January 30, the PSEB told the district education officers (DEOs) not to allot a centre more than 3 km away from the students’ location. Despite this, the examination centres have been made 14-18 km away from the schools. The roll numbers of class XII students have been dispatched.

For instance, the examination centre of students of Government Senior Secondary School, Assa Buttar village, has been made 18 km away at Government Senior Secondary School, Bhalaiana village. Similarly, the centre for the students of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhuttiwala, has been made at Doda village. The distance is about 14 km.

The centre of students of Government Senior Secondary School, Lakhewali village, has been made 8 km away at Sherewala village.

Lakhvir Singh, president, Democratic Teachers’ Front, Muktsar, said: “The far away location of centres will affect the exam results. There is a long distance between Assa Buttar and Bhalaiana. Most of the students are likely to reach late as there is hardly any transportation facility in the area. Further, most students belong to poor families and they will have to rely on their elder family members to drop and pick them. The officials concerned should have kept these factors in mind.” A government teacher, pleading anonymity, said: “The government introduced this policy to curb the use of unfair means during the exams. But the students will have to face numerous problems.”

Malkit Singh, District Education Officer (DEO), Muktsar, said: “Some centres are at distant locations, but this was done only after the school heads agreed to it. Earlier, the students used to take exams in the schools where they are enrolled. But in schools, where the strength is less than required, the students of neighbouring schools are merged to form a joint examination centre.” The class XII exams are scheduled from February 28 and of class X from March 12.