The annual board examinations for Class 10, conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE), commenced in the Kashmir valley on Wednesday with COVID-19 safety measures in place, officials said.

The examinations are the first major school-related activity in the valley since the pandemic broke out, the officials said. They said 1,06,465 students — comprising 74,465 from the valley and 32,000 from Jammu winter zones — are expected to appear for the examination to be held at 1,145 centres — 814 in the valley and 331 in the winter zones of Jammu.

The examination centres have been almost doubled from the previous year to ensure adherence to social distancing norms, the officials said. In order to prevent the spread of the infection, the authorities have put in place various preventive measures including social distancing norms and the use of masks and hand-sanitisers, they said.

The examination centres across the valley have also been fumigated to minimize the risk of the infection, they added. The government has announced 40 per cent relaxation in the syllabus for the annual examination.