A revised schedule for the conduct of the Madhyama exams and the State Open School Certificate Examination (SOSCE) was announced by the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, on Wednesday, April 27. The decision was taken based on the view of the heatwave condition which is prevailing across the state.
No afternoon shifts will be available for these exams. Ramashis Hazra, President, BSE, had stated that the SOSCE and Madhyama examinations, which were scheduled to commence from 11:30 am on May 2 and 4 respectively, will now be held in the first sitting from 8 am on May 9 and 10, as stated in a report by PTI.
Yet, there are no alterations made in the schedule of the High School Certificate (HSC) examination, which will begin on April 29. The timings for the HSC examinations will be from 8 am to 10 am.
At 3,303 centres present across the state, a total of 5.85 lakh students will appear for the HSC examinations. Hazra stated that more than 35,000 teachers will be supervising the examinations. As many as 38 special squads and 65 flying squads are being set up by the board in order to check malpractices during the examination.
Samir Ranjan Dash, who holds the portfolio of School and Mass Education Minister, stated that mobile phones are not permitted inside the examination centres. He also mentioned that for fair and transparent conduction of exams, surveillance systems such as CCTV cameras have been installed.
He also stated that the chief secretary has requested power distribution companies to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the examination centres. The concerned authorities have also requested to make provisions for the drinking water facilities in all places.
All the technical educational institutions will remain closed from April 28 till May 3 as declared by the state government on Wednesday, April 27.
The Skill Development and Technical Education Department has issued a notification which states that conduction of offline classes in all technical institutions will remain suspended because of the heat wave-like conditions. However, examinations will be conducted as per the schedule at the technical educational institutions.
Earlier, the decision regarding a five-day closure of schools, colleges and universities was announced by the department of the School and Mass Education Department and Higher Education.
From April 26 to April 30, all schools have been closed in the coastal state whereas the colleges and universities have suspended their classes from April 27 to May 2. As per the decision taken by the Women and Child Development Department, the government has also closed all the Anganwadi centres from April 26 to April 30.
