Sir — It takes courage to suspend rallies in a poll-bound state that is the focus of all political attention at present. Rahul Gandhi must be lauded for doing the right thing. He is the only politician who has put the health of the people above personal political gains. The massive political rallies across West Bengal are spreading the virus like wildfire, but this does not seem to bother those out to grab power.

Abhik Chaki,
North 24 Parganas

Lost focus

Sir — With Covid-19 cases on the rise in the country, board exams are either being postponed or cancelled. This is taking a huge toll on the minds of students, who are worried about their future. We lost our zeal to study right from March 2020 and have not got it back yet. The way we had to comprehend our lessons through the irksome online classes with lots of technical glitches and distractions, it became doubly hard to prepare for our board exams. To make matters worse, the boards are being cancelled time and again. This is making students even more anxious and leaving them unable to focus on their studies.

Without board exams it will not be possible to judge students properly. Moreover, how will those passing Class XII be chosen by the right colleges? How will competitive examinations like JEE, NEET — these have been cancelled or postponed — and so on be conducted unless the pandemic can be controlled? It has to be admitted that offline exams will be risky too. Any decision has to be taken with utmost care, toeing a fine line between safety precautions and students’ future. We have to get through this; the sooner concrete plans are put in place, the better.

Shreyasee Dutta,
Howrah

Sir — The education system should be recalibrated keeping in mind the changed situation. The constant dithering is playing havoc with the mental health of students who have been living in uncertainty for over a year now. The pandemic shows no signs of going anywhere; if anything it is only strengthening its hold. People refuse to be careful no matter what the repercussions for the country and the health of its people. The government is not showing adequate progress in either controlling the pandemic, bolstering the healthcare system or, for that matter, protecting the environment. As such, it should be taken for granted that pandemics will be the norm, not the exception.

Aparajita Das,
Calcutta