Half-yearly exams for government and government-aided school students have been cancelled, School Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan told the media on Wednesday on the sidelines of an event in Erode. “Private schools, however, are free to conduct the exams online if required,” he said. Earlier last week, the minister said the exams had been postponed, and the new dates would be announced soon. The government’s decision to cancel the half-yearly exams comes even as the IIT-Madras reported a total of 199 Covid cases as on Wednesday, within days of reopening the campus.

The government, following the IIT cluster, has taken up a testing drive across campuses, which has shown that there are a few positive cases also at the Anna University. With most government schools lacking the technical infrastructure and the know-how to conduct online exams, parents were skeptical about the process. The government’s announcement now has come as a relief for most of them. 

Educationists, however, feel the cancellation would leave the students unprepared for the final examinations due to be held in April. “With Chief Minister’s permission, the syllabus for class IX has been reduced by 50 per cent and syllabus for classes X to XII has been reduced by 65 per cent,” added the minister.