Sigh of relief for jail inmates appearing in board exams after NIOS cancels test
New Delhi: After the National Institute of Open Schooling cancelled this year's board exams for Classes 10 and 12 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, more than 600 prison inmates in Delhi who were to appear in them heaved a sigh of relief, jail officials said on Sunday.
Jail officials said the pandemic disrupted the academic calendar and classes had to be cancelled in March. Therefore, only 20-30 per cent of the syllabus could be completed before the exams were postponed twice and finally scheduled in July.
Earlier, classes were held five days a week by faculties of various NGOs under the NIOS programme at Delhi prisons.
Delhi has three prisons in Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini.
As soon as the news of the exams being cancelled was shared with the candidates, many of them were more than happy and relieved, jail officials and wardens who interact with the inmates regularly said.
Earlier this month, NIOS issued a circular cancelling the exams. The results will now be declared based on the assessment scheme finalised by a committee of NIOS.
According to data shared by the Delhi Prisons authorities, a total of 552 inmates from the three jails had enrolled for Class 10 and 62 for Class 12 through the National Institute of Open Schooling, exams for which are held twice a year, between March-April and October-November.
Of 552 inmates who have applied for Class 10, 366 are from Tihar, 17 from Rohini, and 169 from Mandoli jail.
Forty-five inmates from Tihar, four from Rohini and 13 from Mandoli jail have enrolled for Class 12 this year.
Besides them, around 75 inmates from Delhi prisons who did not qualify in their Class 10 exams last year were to reappear in the exams this year. Nineteen inmates were to reappear in Class 12 exams this year, officials said.
NIOS has its study centre in Delhi prisons from where a prisoner can pursue his studies and is given certificate for the particular course without mentioning the place of examination, which is jail.
