KOLKATA: Close to 1,500 children took the Rashtriya Military Schools (RMS) Common Entrance Test in Ballygunge Army Camp on Sunday, making it the first pen-and-paper test since March 2020 for students between 10 and 14 in the city. Many candidates arrived from the neighbouring states, like Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, two to three days in advance as the centre in Ballygunge was the only venue for the admission test in eastern India.
Most of the students who took the test were between the ages of 10 and 11 — for Class VI — and between the ages of 13 and 14 — Class XI. It was mandatory for all students to wear N95 masks and carry sanitiser. Their body temperatures were checked at the entrance of the examination centre.
Schools and colleges have been shut since March 2020 and have been conducting online examinations. Last week, the NEET, and the joint entrance examinations in July were also conducted in the pen-and-paper mode.
“We arrived on Saturday afternoon for the test since this is the only centre for the whole of eastern India,” said Dheeraj Kumar from Bihar Sharif whose son Sourav, 10, appeared for the test.
The two-hour-long examination started at 9am, but the examinees were taken inside the centre at 7.30am. “We had to check their temperature and direct them to their rooms and seats. It was started early so that everything could be done keeping social distancing in mind,” said an official at the examination centre.
While the children took the test inside, parents waited on the pavements outside. Many who were tired from travelling even dozed off on newspapers.
There are five RMSs throughout the country with two in Karnataka, two in Rajasthan and one in Himachal Pradesh. Common Entrance Test is conducted once a year in centres in different parts of the country.
“These are fully residential schools affiliated to CBSE. Many parents want their children to study here because the focus on extra-curricular activities is as much as on academic activities. The institution prepares a solid foundation and prepares students for defence-related exams and courses,” an official said.
