Friday 19 / April / 2024
Muscat: Students attending Indian schools in Oman who have been forced to go back home because of the COVID-19 pandemic can still give their class X and XII board exams in India.
“Let us say, there is a student whose father and mother have been terminated from the job here, and have been forced to go back to Gujarat, for example,” said an official from the Indian school system in Oman.
“They can go to the nearest CBSE school and inform them of the circumstances as to why they had to leave Oman, and put in a request for them to write their board exam at that school.
“The school will then write to the CBSE headquarters and seek permission for this candidate, and during these exceptional circumstances, they will definitely provide them the means to write the exam,” he added.
“Otherwise, the student would have to take admission in class X or XII all over again, and it would be very difficult to provide that at a time like this.
“CBSE should provide permission, but in case they don’t, the parent can always reach out to us and we will approach those concerned on their behalf,” he went on to say. “The exam, however, must be given in person. There is no online provision available for the X or XII board examinations.”
Written board exams for Indian schools in Oman are scheduled to be conducted in May and June, and a long list of protocols students are required to follow has been issued to them.
Students need to “wear a mask when they come to school and maintain social distancing,” said Indian School Muscat, the largest of the Indian community schools, in a circular sent to students and parents.
"They can carry their own stationery and bottle of drinking water. Sharing of stationery materials and drinking water are not allowed.”
Only one entrance will be kept open for students to arrive at and leave the school, with parents not allowed onto the premises owing to the pandemic.
Parents have been requested to not make their students wait for too long after their exam for the day has ended, and must not send their children to school if they feel unwell. Their class teachers must be informed under such circumstances.
“Students should read the seating plan sent to them,” said the circular. They must “then go straight to the exam room and sit at their allotted place. They should not go anywhere else on the school campus.”
Hand sanitisers will be made available for students, but they are also encouraged to bring their own. Those who use the toilet must follow hygiene protocols and maintain social distancing. Assembling in groups before and after the exam is discouraged, as is using the banisters in school while climbing up and down flights of stairs.
“No mobile phone should be brought to school on these days,” said ISM in the circular. “School phones can be used during an emergency. If students feel unwell, they should report immediately to the teacher in the class or the school nurse.”
Students appearing for the class X and XII board exams must submit an undertaking signed by their parents, confirming they will follow the safety guidelines issued, and not risk the health of others by staying at home, should they fall ill or display the symptoms of the coronavirus.
Children who are under quarantine, however, do not need to come to school, and can let the school authorities know accordingly.
