From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jun 28: The dates for this year’s SSLC examinations have finally been announced and will be held on two days on July 19 and 22. The examinations will be conducted between 10.30 am and 1.30 pm on the two days.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Monday announced that this year’s SSLC examinations will be held for two days with three subjects to be covered on each day.

The hall tickets for the students appearing for the SSLC examinations will be issued from June 30.

Minister Suresh Kumar

While Mathematics, Science and Social Science examinations will be in one single paper on July 19, Kannada, English and Hindi language subjects will be covered in another single paper on July 22.

The guidelines on conducting examinations have been sent to all districts, especially District Educational Officers and Deputy Commissioners.

Section 144 around Exam Centres

The Minister said Prohibitory Orders under Section 144 IPC will be clamped around all examination centres.

Steps to restrict just one student per desk and 12 students per classroom will be ensured. The students coming and going out of the schools are required to be sanitised and wearing of masks either N95 or good cloth masks is compulsory. Infected students would be given N95 surgical masks.

There will thermal scanners and sanitary facilities in all the examination centres. The teachers and all personnel involved in the examination process must be vaccinated in the next one week. All staff monitoring the exams must report in the respective centres by 8.30 am.

Incidentally, students who have been tested Covid positive will have to answer the examination papers from the Covid Care Centres. 

Suresh Kumar said supply of surgical masks to the students has been suggested. The staff involved in the examination work will have to mandatorily wear surgical masks, he said.

Another measure announced by the minister is the deployment of ASHA and medical personnel to keep vigilance in the examination centres.

Another opportunity to those who can’t answer

The Minister clarified that students who are unable to write the examinations for any reason will be given the option to write later and will be considered as freshers.

Necessary steps to ensure justice to students would be taken, the minister promised and said a 12-member committee of experts is being set up on conducting evaluation of the PUC students.

“Children who migrated along with their parents would he asked to write the exams from the schools nearer to their houses,’’ the minister said, adding as many as 10,000 students are eligible for this facility.

The total number of students appearing for this year’s SSLC examinations will be slightly more at 8.76 lakh as against last year’s total of 8.46 lakh students.

The examinations will be held in a total of 73,066 examination centres all over the State. The Covid safety guidelines issued by the State Health Department will be strictly followed in the examination centres, the minister said.

Answering questions, he said no final decision has been taken on reopening of schools in the State. The Education Department and the State Government has considered the report of the expert committee headed by Dr Devi Prasad Shetty.

Online classes to commence from July 1

“We do not the students from rural areas to suffer or be deprived of the learning process. A task force comprising experts, technical experts of the government and child specialists will be constituted to look into all aspects,’’ he said pointing out that online classes through Chandana Vahini will commence from July 1 for all classes.

In the first phase, lessons for Classes 8, 9 and 10 will be started through the Chandana Vahini from July 1.

The process of transfers of teachers will commence from June 30 onwards as per the Ordinance issued to ensure teachers-friendly transfers. A time-table for the transfer process has already been issued. A total of 75,000 applications seeking transfers have been received, he said pointing out that teachers can participate in the transfer process through the Shikshakamitra App counselling and opt for transfers.