The government's decision to cancel examinations in the remaining papers of this year's Higher Secondary Certificate exams must have surprised most people. It has taken the decision amid pressure from a section of students. The students stormed into the Secretariat to meet the education advisor, the de facto education minister of the interim government, to press home their demand for automatic promotion arguing that they cannot sit for the exams with their fellow students writhing on beds after being injured in the recent movement.
There is no denying that students in the 12th grade played a key role in the success of the movement and that many of them sacrificed their lives, many got maimed and many others are screaming in agony in hospital beds. But can it justify the auto promotion at such a critical level of studies which would determine not only their career path, but also their future life? Would not auto promotion stigmatise them?
The auto promotion decision has proved once again that government cannot ignore the pressure of those instrumental in bringing them to power -- be the pressure reasonable or irrational -- and this rule applies even to the non-political interim government. If this is the case, on which moral ground can we raise our voice against the previous regime giving undue privilege to the public servants who engineered its ascension to power?
The government's submission to the demand raised by a section of students might give a wrong signal, prompting others to come up with their demands -- legitimate or otherwise and giving rise to instability in the administration. We have seen several other groups -- nursing students, doctors and village police -- have already taken to the streets to press for their own sets of demands. The auto promotion decision has raised many questions too. If the government succumbs to the pressure of a smaller segment of students, what would happen if a greater number of people wage any movement to realise any demand? How has the government determined whether those who demanded automatic promotion represent the majority of the students? Several coordinators, who steered the movement, already expressed their displeasure at the auto promotion decision and made it clear that the demand does not represent a wider section of the students.
We wish to keep faith in the sagacity of the government. We also wish to believe that the government will understand that the auto promotion decision might benefit some of the students, particularly those who could not or did not take the necessary preparation for the exams or who are not well academically and just want to pass the exams somehow, but it will certainly distress and demoralise the majority of the serious students. In no way can we accept it.
If the auto promotion decision is enforced finally, it will be a great moral defeat for the student movement which garnered huge public support arguing that 'merit should precede quota'.
The government should back out of the auto promotion decision without any hesitation, not only in the interest of students but for the sake of stability in the administration. It needs to sit with the top leaders of the student movement immediately to discuss the matter and convince them to withdraw the students' opposition to exams.
The Chief Advisor can play a role here. He can come up with his maiden 'address to the nation' as the head of the government that the people have been waiting for since his taking over. He is the most admired and most acceptable person in the interim government and the people might take or react to his statement on an issue a bit differently.
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