India has started easing lockdown restrictions with Unlock 1.0, however, coronavirus cases have not completely subsided. Hence, fearing exposure to Covid-19, several students appearing for Chartered Accountants (CA) exams in July this year petitioned to the authorities to not hold exams in the prevailing situation. However, there were also some who wanted to appear for the exams.
Therefore, clearing the confusion, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has finally issued a notice.
Important Announcement
For more details please visithttps://t.co/sgEbH3qyaz pic.twitter.com/OtOHS9g7go— Institute of Chartered Accountants of India – ICAI (@theicai) June 15, 2020
And according to it, students are free to appear for the exams scheduled for July. However, those who don’t wish to appear for the exams amid coronavirus scare have been provided with an ‘opt-out’ option, reported Financial Express. The option enables students to carry forward their candidature to the next examination i.e. November 2020, read the announcement.
ICAI also added that they are ‘committed to serving even if one student wishes to appear in examination scheduled from 29th July 2020.’ But they said that they will again review their decision in the first week of July and ‘status will be intimated to students who have not opted out.’
Even though the governing body has provided its students with the provision to ‘opt-out’ of the exams for the upcoming session, they didn’t seem very impressed.
Soon, students took to social media to express their disappointment with the authority’s decision:
ICAI has just found a way to play on a safe side. The institute took 15-20 days to think, but we have to decide within 4 days. Also that ICAI can change their decision later on too but we can't. Everyone's still in a dilemma.
— Prerna Sai (@PrernaSai18) June 15, 2020
Highly disappointing announcement. Either you provide exam centres in everybody's reach or cancel the exam. I do not wish to waste my time of life by opting out and spoiling an attempt. Please understand that things are difficult for students.
— NISHIDH SINGHAL (@nishidhsinghal) June 15, 2020
Some even gave them meme treatment:
ICAI ANNOUNCEMENT#icai #icaiexams #JusticeForStudents
I would suggest students to opt out
because- pic.twitter.com/oERO0PCVTr— Bharat Sharma (@son_ofsharmaji) June 15, 2020
Meanwhile confused students to ICAI:#ICAI #icaiexam pic.twitter.com/MC6H8XYvTc
— Kiran Deshpande (@kirandeshpande_) June 15, 2020
We Need Insurance from ICAI against Covid https://t.co/hhIVIokczz
— Prateek (@prateekrdelhi) June 15, 2020
ICAI saying they will again assess situation in july.
Also ICAI : we will conduct exams even if there is one student#icaiexams #caexams pic.twitter.com/nIQvEPOHqZ— Raghunandan Nogja (@RaghunandanNog1) June 15, 2020
This time #ICAI to their #students ..
Jisko dena hai do warna mat do 😂 pic.twitter.com/GsFMggxE29— Karan Jha 🇮🇳 (@jhakaran007) June 15, 2020
CA exam to be held in July
Students:#icaiexam #ICAI pic.twitter.com/U0hQWJ3VH0
— Mohammad sarfaraj (@sarfaraj_10) June 15, 2020
Students: ICAI will take full responsibility of students opting in July term?
ICAI: pic.twitter.com/xW0jVFvHZr— . (@_itzshivam_) June 15, 2020
Well, two good things happened with this announcement. Firstly, we were blessed with some memes and jokes to beat the Monday blues and secondly, students got the option to postpone their exams. Yay!