New Delhi, May 23 (IANS): As the Education Ministry began deliberations to conduct the Class 12 board exams, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has raised concern about conducting exams and said the health and safety of students matter.

"I have said this before and am repeating it again. The mental health of children is as important as their physical well-being. It's about time our education system incorporates sensitivity towards children's well-being and starts taking these issues seriously," she said.

"Gatherings in closed spaces promote the spread of Covid. This wave has shown that children are vulnerable to new strains. In any case, expecting children who are already under immense pressure to sit for their exams wearing all sorts of protective gear for hours at a stretch day after day is insensitive and unfair. Many of them are likely to have family members who are down with Covid too. They are already dealing with enough stress.

"I fail to understand the reasoning behind holding these exams, not to mention having stretched this decision out for months," she said.

Students preparing for the CBSE Class 12 examinations have been sharing their concerns about these exams being held during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic.

"Their health and safety matters. Why are we not learning our lessons?" she asked.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had in April cancelled the exams for Class 10, while those for Class 12 were postponed in view of the exponential spike in Covid-19 cases across the country.