As the entire nation is shutting down due to coronavirus scare, the Kerala government has once again proved that laws imposed by the central government are not applicable to the state.
On Monday, March 17 the Ministry of Health Affairs has ordered all the states to shut down educational institutions, but adamant Kerala universities have ordered no change in the already scheduled university examinations.
Despite requests from student political organizations like SFI, KSU, and ABVP, the government has not ordered to halt the university examinations.Just hours after the central government order, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan conducted a press conference and assured that examinations will go on as per the current schedule.
Government Law College Thrissur under threat
In order to justify their decision to continue with the examinations, the government says that the SSLC examination which is being attended by more than 4 lakh students is continuing without any problems.
Having said that, the two situations are incomparable. Almost 99 per cent of the students attending the SSLC examinations are day scholars, while the majority of the students attending the University exams are staying in hostels.
Exams to start on March 23
Citing the example of Government Law College, Thrissur, Calicut University has decided to start the examinations on March 23, 2020. In this college, most of the students hail from South Kerala districts like Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, and Ernakulam where several people are under forced quarantine.
It should be also noted that there are no government hostel facilities in Thrissur Law College, and private hostel facilities are not ready to accommodate students due to coronavirus scare.
Even in the midst of this chaos, the Kerala government is continuing their adamant stand, and by violating central government instructions to halt upcoming examinations, the South Indian state is proving that they are actually, 'The People's Republic of Kerala', and not a state that abides Central Government's instructions to combat coronavirus outbreak.
