Following the concerns raised in the Tamil Nadu Assembly over the absence of 50,000 students in the Plus-II Language Exam on Friday, March 24, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi assured the House that the government would take necessary measures to identify the dropouts and convince them to write the supplementary exam, as stated a report in The New Indian Express.
The minister said that the aim is to create sufficient awareness among students and parents on the importance of appearing for the board examination and finishing their school education.
“Chief Minister MK Stalin was the first to raise the issue of why so many students failed to appear for the language paper on the first day," Poyyamozi stated, in response to a special Calling Attention Motion raised by the principal opposition AIADMK and other parties.
The TN state government has provided numerous benefits to the school education department, such as free uniforms and notebooks to the students, in addition to funds amounting to Rs 40,299 crores. The minister complained that despite these measures, “where did these students go” was all that was on people’s minds.
“Just like other sectors, the pandemic has had an adverse impact on students too,” said the minister. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, the current batch of Class XII students has been declared “all pass” when they were in Class X.
Further, the minister assured the house that the government is reaching out to students and making sure that the education system becomes vibrant post-COVID.