A request to reschedule the CBSE Class X Science examination scheduled for February 22 has brought the clash between a major public examination and Attukal Pongala’s city-wide mobility demands into focus in Thiruvananthapuram.
BJP Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar has written to Union education minister Pralhad Joshi, seeking directions to the Central Board of Secondary Education to move the examination to another date. The request cites the expected movement of lakhs of women from Kerala and other parts of the country to the state capital for Attukal Pongala.
According to Chandrasekhar’s letter, the festival requires special traffic regulations, road closures, diversions and related administrative arrangements across the city. He said these measures could make it difficult for students, parents, school buses and examination staff to reach their centres on time.
The letter also describes Pongala day as a local holiday and says that public transport and other civic facilities are largely focused on festival-related operations. The concern, as presented in the request, is not limited to traffic congestion but extends to the ability of examination centres and support services to function smoothly while the city manages a large religious gathering.
Chandrasekhar said many parents, students and school authorities in Thiruvananthapuram had conveyed concerns about the examination date. He argued that students appearing for a public examination should not face avoidable travel difficulties or additional mental strain because of the scheduling overlap.
The issue places schools and families in a situation where examination planning depends partly on city-level movement arrangements. Students may need to travel through areas affected by diversions or closures, while school buses and examination staff would also have to operate within the festival traffic plan. The supplied report does not provide details of individual examination centres, planned road closures or the transport arrangements proposed for the day.
Attukal Pongala is a recurring event in the state capital, and the request highlights the administrative coordination required when a large public gathering coincides with a fixed national examination schedule. Any change to the examination date would have to be decided by CBSE, which is responsible for the Class X examination timetable.
Chandrasekhar has asked the Union education minister to direct CBSE to shift the Science examination to a suitable date, citing both students’ academic interests and the smooth conduct of the examination. The report does not state whether CBSE or the Union education ministry has responded to the request. The next formal development will be the board’s decision on whether the February 22 examination schedule will remain unchanged or be revised.
