Muscat: Parents of Indian students in Oman expressed relief and joy at the declaration that there will be no re-exams for overseas students.
Indian School Ghubra (ISG) had made the announcement on Friday. They cleared the air after they received an official communication from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The controversy had erupted after reports surfaced that two subjects’ question papers had been leaked. As many as 12 people have been detained by the Indian police in the case.
Murali, whose daughter studies at Indian School Darsait (ISD) and gave the grade 10 mathematics exam recently, said his family breathed a sigh of relief after the announcement.
“We were so relieved. My daughter was so happy. She called her friends to tell them the good news right away. We are especially happy because we were planning to move back to India at the end of April and now we can do so without uncertainty,” he said.
“But one of my daughter’s friends and her family had cancelled their air tickets. After the announcement, they booked fresh tickets and flew back to India,” he added.
Samarpita Basu, whose son gave his grade 10 exam, said that they were frustrated with the attitude of CBSE.
“My son later said he was ready to re-write his maths paper as he wanted it to be a fair test. We are definitely relieved now but our heart goes out to all students who have not indulged in any wrongdoing and still have to go through a re-test,” she said.
“CBSE has no right to experiment with the lives of our children, especially with the 2018 batch. The Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) was introduced when this batch was in grade six and suddenly that was changed to a consolidated syllabus last year,” she said.
“The children tried hard to adapt to this sudden change. As if that was not enough, they announced that the class 10 syllabus was much more than graduation course syllabus. As 15-or 16-year-old, how long can one stay positive when the board itself thinks it was a mistake to put this extra burden on children?” she asked.
“We as parents have signed a petition with change.org. I hope CBSE spares our children any extra stress now and in the next two crucial years,” she added.
Another parent Rana Roy said, “After hearing the news of re-exams, we were devastated. Exams are like an emotional, physical and mental roller coaster for students. But now, we are delighted to hear that NRI students need not appear for a re-test.”
“Teachers, parents and students themselves have put in a lot of hard work and it is good to know their efforts haven’t been in vain. It is unfortunate for those who might have to reappear, but we sincerely hope that CBSE will conduct a proper investigation and punish the culprits,” Roy added.
Yet another parent Rina Ranjit said: “They have come to a sensible decision. At least the innocent, hardworking children have got justice. They toil throughout the year. Why should they suffer because of that unscrupulous lot?”