Onam exams from Aug 13, holidays leave students in Kuttanad unprepared

Anxiety is mounting among students and parents at Kuttanad in Kerala's Alappuzha district as the term Onam exams for schoolchildren are scheduled to begin in the state on August 13. Severe flooding and waterlogging have kept educational institutions in the region closed since August 1, resulting in a continuous 12-day holiday that has severely disrupted the academic calendar.

With schools shut for nearly two weeks and teachers previously deployed for national census duties, many institutions have been unable to cover the curriculum required for the exams. Students are now heading to the examination halls hoping they will only be tested on the limited portions that were actually taught in class before the monsoon disrupted the term. The situation on the ground remains extremely grim. Several schools, including the Mankombu Thekkekara Govt High School, are heavily waterlogged after outer bunds of neighbouring paddy fields breached. Portions of classroom blocks and school yards are completely submerged under water. Getting to these schools has become a perilous task, with both teachers and students forced to wade through waist-deep water. Due to the flooded fields, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between safe access roads and deep water channels. Local residents point out that the situation will only improve once pumping operations in the nearby agricultural fields resume to drain the water.