‘Cancel Exams’ trends in Pakistan mounting pressure on NCOC

‘Cancel Exams’ trends in Pakistan mounting pressure on NCOC

Students from all across Pakistan took to Twitter to demand the cancellation of Cambridge exams as the Covid-19 situation gets worse in the country. The current top trends today (Monday) are #NCOCCancelExams #ShafqatMehmood and #Cambridge initiated by students and parents to mount pressure on the National Command and Operation Authority and the education minister to cancel exams.

Joining the students, the Chief Minister Balochistan also strongly pressurized the education minister and the Prime Minister Imran Khan “to speak to British Council and Cambridge to postpone Cambridge, O and A levels.”

“The spread is fast and keeping students in single halls is more dangerous,” he added.

A social media user, while strongly criticizing the government said that “I'm just shocked that how the government is not listening to students, cricket experts, celebrities, youtubers, journalist and politicians (Maryam Nawaz and others) but are listening to their ego.”

Arshad Sharif, a Journalist joining the trend said that NCOC should save lives of Pakistani Students. “When entire country is at high risk of COVID-19, life of students should not be put at risk,” he said.

Sharif added that Cambridge can take school assessed grades.

Another journalist endorsed Sharif saying that Shafqat Mehmood is in a denial mode. “Not just NCOC but key ministers need to rise to the occasion and should not let kids being put at risk,” he said.

A concerned parent asked the government “Do you want to kill our children?”

The user asked the government whether they cannot see the devastating effect of conducting exams in the situation.

Jibran Nasir, a lawyer and Human Rights activist said sided with the students and said that “it is so unfortunate that our Govt in order to hide its inability to provide safer alternatives to exams for local board students has forced international board students to sit exams despite having an alternative available.”

He said that Shafqat Mahmood is risking lives to hide government’s failure.

Pakistan reported 4,825 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, taking the country's Covid-19 tally to 800,452.

The country's death toll climbed to 17,187 after 70 people succumbed to the deadly disease.

Meanwhile, 4,234 patients recovered from the deadly disease in a day taking total recoveries to 694,046.

According to NCOC, total active Covid-19 cases across the country were reported to be 89,219.