Does Students’ Lives Matter?

”Show must go on; a whole year of students cannot be wasted,” said Justice Arun Mishra. A whole academic year holds strong importance in a student’s life, and ruining a whole year could be troublesome, as he has been preparing for the exams for years. In the normal day scenario, talking about the time before January 2020, we would have never even thought of postponing an exam, but the current times have come up with unrelenting situations. Acting as if nothing has happened and continuing with our pre lifestyles will not help us in decreasing the growing number of COVID patients! The present times ask for change!

Covid-19 has hit the world hard, and it has especially damaged our own country India. With over 75,000 patients coming out per day. It is an arduous year for everyone and this includes the students too. Mental health is something which we all have been talking about lately, but the trend is we talk about someone’s mental health after he or she commits suicide! Why not give some importance to the mental health of those who are still alive?

“A 19-year-old Coimbatore girl died by suicide on Tuesday allegedly out of fear of writing the paper.” – The New Indian Express. Many more such headlines would not pop up on your WhatsApp, because people are still making fun of these children saying that they are terrified to give the examination. This 19-year-old had been working hard for more than two years, but she was afraid to give the exam only because she was concerned about her father’s health. She feared the consequences if she acted as an asymptomatic carrier. She had a hard decision to make, and she couldn’t make it after all. All these children are not concerned about their health but more importantly about the elders in their homes, their parents, and grandparents.

The most ironic part of the current situation is that the Supreme Court which announced the decision to not postpone the examinations is itself functioning through virtual hearings while it is asking millions of students to physically appear for examinations. It would not be wrong to say that the SC has let the children down and students have been vocal about this without fear.

The most terrible part is that the students who aren’t giving these exams haven’t supported these children! Every day you can see thousands of memes saying that these children are creating this propaganda just so that they don’t have to give the exams. This is a big fat lie! Students are asking to postpone the exams not cancel them! They are more concerned about their academic year than the Supreme Court! It is heartbreaking to see that people are being made fun of only because they care for their and their loved one’s lives!

The Government has been trying to reassure students by saying that there will be proper implementation of the SOPs! The same was said when KCET and COMEDK exams were held, but it was evident how the SOPs failed, there was no social distancing, thousands of children and their parents attempting to enter the examination center were unable to maintain social distancing!

The number of centers has also been a very major issue. In a big state like Bihar there are only two centers for NEET examination and over 50,000 aspirants, accommodating them with keeping in mind the SOPs seem like a big chimera. We would just be exposing millions of children to a lethal virus!

When a country like the USA tried to reopen schools, more than 90,000 students tested COVID positive. The USA with one of the best infrastructures in this world had to shut down its schools again; even they could not manage the current situation. How would India, a country with an enormous population and an inadequate infrastructure keep millions of students safe?

Other than the terror of COVID-19 there are many other reasons which have made it challenging for students to reach their examination centers. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Telangana are suffering from floods! Many people had to abandon their homes; there is no mode of transportation in these affected regions. Moreover, the Railways aren’t providing service; only a limited number of trains are operating. Furthermore, the accommodation has become a significant obstacle; some people will be traveling hundreds of kilometers just to reach their examination centers, what about them? Where will they stay?

The students have a very valid request, most of them have asked that if the government isn’t postponing the examinations then they must assure them that they will get the same method of treatment like the Home Minister got, in the best of hospitals, as most of them don’t have enough resources and money to get into any private hospital if tested positive.

I feel that it is a very inhumane behavior by the Supreme Court and the third pillar of democracy should have been more sensitive towards the students. As a student myself, I know the importance of a whole academic year, but at the same time I also know that this year is just a part of the many years yet to come in my life, and I will not be willing to put mine and my family’s life in danger to save just a year because as the Prime Minister of India said: “Jaan hai toh Jahan hai!”(Health is Wealth!)