The global community faces an unprecedented crisis. Unfortunately, the impacts of this are felt more severely by some groups than by others-for a vast majority of students, the pandemic also means a severe impediment in learning. The lack of access to internet and proper online resources to millions is one of the biggest challenges facing India. Not only this but the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of schools means that for the current 12th graders who are to appear for the Board Exams in 2021, the future seems even darker. 

That said, having to take the exams after a year of fully online learning that our education system was clearly unprepared for, is going to harm the future prospects of all these students. Reduction in syllabi is a band-aid solution to a much bigger problem; for the most part the learning gap between students who have access to expensive resources versus those who don't is going to be exacerbated. In addition to this, many students and their families are suffering from the COVID-19 virus themselves which is likely to affect their studies and school year as well.

We cannot wait and watch the most vital year of these students' lives be ruined because of something entirely out of their control. Cancelling the Board exams of March, 2021and replacing them with an Internal School-based evaluation system (as we saw was in place previously) will give these students a better shot at salvaging their education. Please support this cause because the situation is urgent and the impacts irreversible.