Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) has yet to take a final call about postponing the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) or Class 10 board examination. The current status is that the department of public instruction, Bangalore will most likely conduct the exams according to the existing schedule i.e., from June 21, 2021 to July 05, 2021. This is despite the requests for postponement made by several students, parents schools managements and stakeholders. A final decision on the exams is expected within the next 15 days as the government predicts a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a havoc in the country, compelling central and state education boards to postpone or cancel board exams. However, Karnataka is one of the few states which are adamant on conducting the board exams as per the decided schedule. Recently, due to the second wave of coronavirus, Karnataka has emerged as the epicentre state of the virus, replacing Maharashtra.
Amid rising COVID-19 cases, reports suggest that the KSEEB has decided to go ahead with the decided SSLC exams schedule. Earlier, the Karnataka government decided on monitoring the pandemic situation before taking a final call to reschedule the SSLC examination. According to the Primary and Secondary state education minister, Suresh Kumar, the government has not decided on anything concrete as of now. A final call shall be taken in the next 15 days as the government expects the cases to decline in due course of time.
The Associated Management of Primary and Secondary schools within the state have requested government to postpone the exams by a month or so at the least. The same was conveyed to Suresh Kumar. According to the association, despite the devasting crisis looming in the country, SSLC exams are yet to be postponed. A multitude of schools are facing a shortage of teaching staff amid the virus spread. This shortage has severely hampered the revision activities and preparation for SSLC exams in schools.
The fear factor regarding COVID-19 has also affected the preparation of students. Moreover, without any concrete decision about postponing exams, parents, students and schools are left in confusion and anticipation. Under such circumstances, postponing the exams by a month or more can help in proper planning and their successful conduction.
Reports further stated that the General Secretary of the concerned association, D.Shashi Kumar, also shed light on the prevailing conditions. According to Kumar, students shall be given a choice to appear for the exam now or later, keeping their safety under consideration. They must be permitted to appear for the supplementary exam and this attempt should be deemed as a “fresh attempt”. This method must be implemented as a one-time measure given the extreme circumstances.
