Following Maoists’ warning against going to the district headquarters to appear for the annual SLC examinations, the 2,000 examinees of Taplejung district are in a fix. It is indeed wrong on the part of the Maoists to issue threats like this to the teachers, parents and school management officials. In order to prevent the students from defying their diktat they have even gone to the extent of patrolling and barring students from entering the headquarters. Under such harrowing circumstances, what results can be expected as the threat has come at a time when students are working so hard for a very crucial examination, the culmination of at least 10 years of schooling, that is just less than a month away.

The plight of students, especially those in government schools, is all the more distressing. As it is, the quality of education is anything but satisfactory and on top of it, the frequent bandhs disturb their academic schedule. And despite all odds when they manage to complete an entire academic year, they are not allowed to sit for the exams. Instead of providing a conducive environment, the Maoists and the security forces are seen to have dragged children into the quagmire of politics. A number of students are reported to have been either killed or abducted, tortured and forced to join the Maoist militia. Though some students have quoted the Maoists as saying that they want the examinations to be conducted in the villages itself, the district education officer has ruled out any such possibility. There are some two lakh SLC examinees. Tens of thousands are in a similar dilemma. The Maoists should rethink their decision, as a disruption of the SLC exams will trigger a chain reaction, not only endangering the students’ careers but also causing trauma to many of them and their parents. Meanwhile, the government should do something to minimise the hardship of the examinees who perforce have to travel to the district headquarters for the SLC exams.