Goa Education Board Grants Special Exam Concessions for Injured Students
In a compassionate move, the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has stepped in to support students facing medical challenges during crucial examinations. The board has granted special permission for four students, all injured in separate road accidents, to write their ongoing Class X state board exams from bed, ensuring they do not miss this academic milestone.
Special Arrangements for Pernem Student
A student from Pernem, whose left leg is entirely in plaster following a January 17 accident, was confined to bed just as his board exams commenced. His school, St Rita’s High School in Colvale, proactively sought permission from the Goa board to accommodate his situation. The board approved the family's request to transport the boy along with an adjustable bed to the examination center.
"We created a separate room in the school where the exam is taking place," stated Bhagirath Shetye, Chairman of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. "The arrangement for the bed and its transport have been made by his family. He will write all the remaining exam papers from his bed in the room created for him as an exam hall."
Comprehensive Support System
The board has implemented a robust support system for these students. In addition to the bed-based examination setup, the board has provided writers to assist students who may tire during the lengthy exam sessions. These writers are typically selected from lower classes, such as Class VIII or IX, to ensure impartiality.
"We have provided him with a writer too if he gets tired writing the exam," Shetye explained. "We can make any such concession for students to write their board exams where they have genuine medical reasons and are eager to take the exam in the same year."
Multiple Students Benefit from Concessions
This initiative extends beyond the Pernem student. Another girl from Sanquelim has similarly been provided with a writer, while a brother-sister duo in Canacona received concessions, with the girl writing her exams from bed. The board requires proper medical certification before granting these accommodations.
"We take all due care like providing a writer from a lower class like Class VIII or IX," Shetye emphasized. "We also take all medical certifications from them before the concessions are provided."
Rare but Necessary Accommodations
While the board has previously provided concessions for students with disabilities, these cases represent a rare occasion where injured students are permitted to answer exams from their beds. The chairman noted that such measures are taken when students demonstrate genuine medical needs and determination to complete their exams in the same academic year.
Family and School Appreciation
The mother of the Colvale student expressed gratitude for the board's intervention. "My son was injured in an accident on Jan 17. His entire left leg is in a plaster and he cannot walk. He cannot sit up. He is lying in bed," she said. "The accident took place around his exams. Thanks to the Goa board they provided a writer to him as well. We are hoping his exam goes well."
Roshan Noronha, Headmistress of St Rita's High School, praised the board's responsiveness. "We wrote to the board and they allowed a bed to be taken to the exam hall," she said. "It is a reclining bed which allows him back support to sit up. A writer is also provided in case he gets tired while writing. We are very happy the student benefited and the Goa board helped."
The proactive approach by both the school and the education board demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that temporary physical challenges do not become permanent academic setbacks for determined students.
