A lose-lose situation

Hhirana Shangari

Now that the third wave of Covid-19 has officially begun thanks to the omicron variant, we’re once again going through the situation with which we've sadly gotten all too familiar.

Lockdown, sickness, death, chaos, we’ve gone through all of these a multiple times in the past two years. And while not the worst sufferers in the equation, one has to look at the unique impact it has on students.

The uncertainty of schools opening and whether these’ll stay open has really put students in a dilemma.

Some students see it as Damocles’sword hanging dangerously over their heads, several others are impatiently waiting for the “heavenly” gates of their schools to open once again for them.

Unlike most working people, there is seems to be a 50-50 split among the students on the issue of whether the schools should open or remain shut for a few more months. Some prefer online classes due to the comfort that these offer, while other prefer offline as they feel they can learn more. One should not forget about a large number of the disadvantaged ones who have no means to attend the online classes.

Students of Board classes have been impacted the most due to the importance of the exams. Their is a huge questionmark on their future as the pattern of the exams may be changed drastically or the syllabus could change or the exams could be cancelled altogether.

Many students have lost the competitive zeal totally due to the prolonged closure of schools as it is very logical to not want to work for something which in the end proves to be futile.

We don’t even know what to wish for, exams will require immense preparation and cancellation comes at a heavy cost. But considering all the safety concerns and the virus possibly spreading even more, it really feels like a lose-lose situation which I'm sure has every student stressed to some extent.

Class XII, St. Joseph's Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh