Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has for the time being shelved a plan to allow Class 8, 9 and 10 students to consult their books while writing examinations - an idea backed by none other than Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

"We will be taking expert opinions from educationists and after due deliberations we will then arrive at a decision. There will be no change in examination procedures in the present set-up of March 2009," Jaynarayan Vyas, the government spokesperson and health minister, said here.

There was speculation that the new scheme would be in place from March 2009, but Vyas' statement has put to rest the impression that the government was in a hurry to take such a radical step.

Rohit Pathak, chairman of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), had announced on Monday that the board was sending a proposal to the state government for allowing Class 8, 9 and 10 students to write their exams with the help of their books.

Chief Minister Modi was said to be behind this idea, the grounds being that it would lessen the pressure on students and also check suicides among them.

But it created disquiet in the academic circles here. Many expressed reservation over such a radical measure when the quality of education in Gujarat left much to be desired. IANS