On February 20, Tuesday, Primary Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa announced that a total of 6,98,624 students will be appearing for their second PUC (Pre-University Course) examinations scheduled to start on March 1. Similarly, 8,96,271 students are attempting the SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) Board exams between March 25 and April 6.
The Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) has identified 1,124 centres for PU examination and 2,747 centres for SSLC examination. A total of 3.3 lakh boys and 3.6 lakh girls will be appearing for their II PUC examinations, while around 4.5 lakh boys and 4.3 lakh girls will be attempting the SSLC examination, The New Indian Express reported.
In a press meeting, Bangarappa emphasised that all measures have been taken to make the exams 'student friendly' and the department is confident that the results will be relatively better this year. “All necessary measures have been taken to curb malpractice, and strict action will be taken against those who are found indulging in malpractice. Almost all the centres are under the surveillance of CCTV cameras, inside and outside the exam halls," the minister said.
Last year, the government scrapped supplementary exams and introduced three Board exams for SSLC and II PUC. Speaking about the compulsion to attend the first exam, Bangarappa said that the board has made it mandatory for students to register for Summative Exam 1, to be eligible to appear for Exams 2 and 3.
Speaking on this, he said, "The objective is to give a chance to the students to improve their overall performance in the exams, following which, the best score will be considered for the final results," he added. Those students who are unable to take the first examination, only under extreme situations, will be given a second chance, on a case-to-case basis, reported The New Indian Express.
When KSEAB introduced a third examination for II PUC candidates in 2022-23, approximately 1.19 lakh students registered, out of which, 41,961 students passed. Allowing project-based learning opportunities for II PUC students, the state board has adopted an 80+20 model where 80 marks are allotted for the written exam and 20 for internal assessment. Private candidates for SSLC exams will also be given the same paper, and their marks will then be scaled up to 100 marks before the results are published.
Further, for evaluation, the minister said that 12 centres across the state have been chosen and the results will be declared within 30 days and can be accessed via Digi Locker. Speaking about the 129 schools which have about 5,000 students appearing for SSLC, and have not renewed their affiliations, he said, the students will be tagged with government school centres or others in the area, The New Indian Express reported.
