Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is surfaced with demands from the teachers and students to cancel Class 12 board exams in the state in light of the pandemic. The demands have come after the Center had repealed the CBSE Class 12 board exams this year and several states have joined the line of cancelling the Class 12 state board exams. 

According to reports, most of the academicians in the state have joined with the students and teachers and urged the Chief Minister to cancel the Class 12 board exams. Speaking to IANS, a teacher at a government school in Namakkal said, "Children are under severe stress and anxiety. The government must take immediate steps to cancel the Class 12 board examinations." 

On Wednesday, Chief Minister MK Stalin has convened a high-level meeting to discuss conducting the Class 12 board exams in the state. The meeting was attended by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and after the meeting, the minister said that the Chief Minister will be taking a final decision over conducting the board exams in two days. 

Poyyamozhi further said that the final decision will be taken after obtaining the views and opinions from the parents, health experts, and educationalists. He further added that the students in Tamil Nadu are in a divide as while some students are in favour of conducting the exams, others are against conducting the exams at this juncture in light of the pandemic. 

Earlier, the state government has asserted that it will conduct the board exams for Class 12 at any cost and it was speculated that the exams will be conducted between July and August after the pandemic has come under control. It has been expected that the government will announce the final decision by Saturday. Earlier, the state government has declared the students between Classes 1 to 8 all pass and cancelled the board exams for Classes 9 to 11.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the CBSE Class 12 board exams are cancelled this year in light of the pandemic. Narendra Modi said, "Health and safety of our students are of utmost importance and there would be no compromise on this aspect. Anxiety among students, parents, and teachers, which must be put to an end." 

"Students should not be forced to appear for exams in such a stressful situation and all stakeholders need to show sensitivity for students", the Prime Minister added. The Center has also cancelled the ICSE board exams for Class 12. Following the announcement from the Center, several states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand had cancelled the state board exams for Class 12 students. The demand has now been growing for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to cancel the exams. 

If you are a Class 12 student or a parent of a student in Tamil Nadu, you can say your opinions on whether or not to conduct the Class 12 board exams to the state government by contacting "14417" toll-free number or sending an email to "tnschooledu21@gmail.com".