With only two days left for the SSLC exams to be conducted across the state, the Karnataka State Education Examination Board (KSEEB) is all set in terms with exam centres locked and loaded with safety protocols they need to follow. These exams which were supposed to happen in the month of May were postponed to July due to a raging second wave. Now, the exams will be conducted from July 19 to 22. While the core subjects like Maths, Science and Social Science are scheduled for July 19, language and other subject exams are scheduled to happen on 20, 21 and 22.
The exams will happen from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm and it has multiple choice questionnaires. Last year, over 8.46 lakh SSLC students wrote the exam and this year, over 8,76,581 students are expect to appear for these exams. As a result, it is mandatory for all the students to wear a N-95 mask, use a sanitiser and maintain social distancing when they are at the exam centre. There will be 12 students in each exam hall and only one student will be seated at every desk.
The teachers who have been deputed as invigilators in the exam hall must produce a negative RT-PCR test before they start their work. They also have to wear masks and face shields compulsorily. They also need to produce a status report of their COVID test done through RAT or RT-PCR. They must have taken atleast their first vaccination shot.
The classrooms and the school campus will be sanitised before and after the exams. Since the exams will be held for four days, the department has been instructed to sanitise the desks and prepare them a day in advance.
The department has also made arrangements for students in the rural areas to attend exams in the nearby exam centres instead of travelling to the centres in districts. It is compulsory for students to bring their own water bottles and not borrow from others. If the students have any of the symptoms including cold and cough, they will be seated in a separate room available in the exam centres. In fact, one or two such classrooms are allocated separately for students who have symptoms.
The department has instructed schools to use thermal scanners to check the temperature of students. Apart from students and the school staff, nobody, including parents are allowed to enter the exam centre. An ambulance must be stationed at every SSLC exam centre incase of an emergency.
For students who have moved from their hostels due to the pandemic, the local education officials have made arrangements for them to write their exams in the nearest district or villages. Similarly, for students who have migrated to other states along with their parents, they can attend the exams scheduled in the month of July. In case they are not able to travel to Karnataka due to various complications, they can attend supplementary exams. This attempt will be considered as a fresh/first attempt for these students.
