Spare exams, Assam edu boards' plea to agitators

GUWAHATI: As protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and Scheduled Tribe status for six more communities continue across the state, students appearing for the Class X and XII board exams, to be held over the next month, fear they might be caught in the crossfire.
While 3.52 lakh candidates will appear for the Class X state board exams, conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (Seba), about 2.42 lakh students will appear for the Class XII boards, conducted by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC).
Exam material scheduled to reach centres well in time before the Class X board practical exams - to be held on January 22 and 24 - has finally made its way after a delay. With this in mind, Seba has kept its fingers crossed for the theory papers - to be held from February 14 to March 6 - and appealed to the state's organizations to not call bandhs when the board exams are under way.
"Exam material for the theory papers will be sent to centres when we are done with practicals this week. The next few days are crucial - it needs to be ensured that bandhs and strikes don't hamper the exam process," Suranjana Senapati, secretary of Seba, said.