While the Karnataka State Secondary Examinations Board is geared up to conduct SSLC exams across the state, 33 students across the state have tested positive for COVID-19 and special arrangements in exam halls have been made for these students to write their exams. The state government also brought down students from bordering states like Kerala and Goa in government buses. A camp was set up on these borders to check students for COVID. More than 20 students who reached from Goa to Karnataka underwent RT-PCR test for COVID-19.
Suresh Kumar, Primary and Secondary Education Minister visited a few exam centres in Bengaluru. He said, “All the departments are working in coordination with each other to conduct the SSLC exams. Like last year, several NGOs and organisations have joined hands to conduct these exams successfully. Mainly, the positivity rate of COVID is lesser than what it was last year. It was 13.5 per cent in 2020 whereas it is 1.3 per cent this year. Students and parents’ response to conduct these exams have encouraged us to go ahead with exams. The plus point for our department is we have experience of conducting SSLC exams last year. However, this time, we are conducting it only for two days.”
Around 8,76,601 students will be taking the SSLC exams. Out of this, 4,03, 938 are girls and 4,72,643 are boys who will be attending exams today. While the number of freshers are 7,83,955 students, 977 students are repeaters. This year, the number of exam centres have increased from last year to more than 4884.
Today, over eight lakh students will be writing Maths, Science and Social Science exams. The total number of marks is 120 and each subject has questions for 40 marks. While the OMR sheet for Maths is in Pink colour, the OMR sheet for Science is Orange colours and Social Science is in green colour.
Two students fail to write their SSLC exams
As of now, two students were found to have lost an opportunity to write SSLC exams for various reasons. Despite several messages and calls from the department, many students did not register for SSLC exams due to which they were not allotted hall tickets. Two days ago, Greeshma Nayak from Tumakuru who was studying at Alvas Educational Institution was not given a hall ticket as she had not taken admissions for Class 10 after passing Class 9. Since the fees were not paid, the institution did not register her for the SSLC exams. Though Greeshma and her father requested that they pay fees a little late and brought it to the notice of government officials, nothing had happened.
Later, the education minister met the girl and promised her that she will be allowed to write supplementary exams as a fresher and promoted to PUC 1.
A similar incident was noticed in Bagalkot’s Basaveshwara Vidyavardhak Sangha today morning. Mohammed Kaif Saudagar along with his grandmother had come to school to attend SSLC exams. But the teachers told that he hadn’t filled the registration form and his online classes attendance was too low. As a result, the student was not allowed to write exams. The teachers said that either they can provide a transfer certificate or he can wait to write supplementary exams.
