Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) is all set to conduct the board examinations for class 10 (Matriculation) and class 12 (Intermediate) in offline mode from March 24 with strict compliance of COVID-19 protocols, JAC officials said on Thursday.

This year, about eight lakh students would write the exam papers in class 10 and 12 in the state. JAC secretary Mahip Kumar Singh told PTI, "We are all prepared for taking the board examinations for class 10 and class 12 from March 24. The examination will take place in offline mode. However, all Covid guidelines including social distancing and wearing mask will be ensured at the examination places."

The Council released the exam date-sheet on Wednesday. The board examination for class 10 will conclude on April 20, while the intermediate examination will come to an end on April 25. "The number of students appearing in both examinations will be higher than the previous year," Singh said.

The exams will be conducted in two sittings. The class 10 examinations will be conducted in the first sitting, while the class 12 in the second sitting, JAC officials said.

The offline mode of board examinations is taking place after 2020. Jharkhand government had to cancel the examinations in 2021 due to prevailing situation of COVID-19. Around 7.5 lakh students of class 10 and 12 were promoted to higher classes without exams based on the results in class 9 and 11.