The Supreme Court of India has asked Kerala Government to put a hold on Class 11 physical exams due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state. Offline Class 11 exams were scheduled to begin from September 6.
The court ordered the exams be paused for a week, saying ‘children of tender age can't be exposed to the risk of contracting the virus’. It stated that Kerala accounts for more than 70 per cent of cases in the country, with around 35,000 daily cases.
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The court was responding to a petition that challenged the decision of the Kerala High Court to not interfere with the state government's proposal to hold offline exams.
The top court further underlined the seriousness of the issue by pointing out that though Kerala ‘has one of the best medical infrastructures it has not been able to contain Covid cases’.
Children have not yet begun receiving Covid vaccines in India. There is a growing fear over inadequate paediatric facilities amid some reports suggesting that children will be most infected during the third wave.