98.06% students attend Karnataka SSLC exams

Result is likely to be announced in the first week of August

sslc-students-file (File) Representational image

The Karnataka government on Friday declared the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations for 2019-2020 as completed. With this, Karnataka became the first state to successfully conduct the SSLC exams in all six subjects in one go amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Kerala had conducted exams for the pending papers in the last week of May, several other states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu cancelled the exams.

As many as 7,61,506 students appeared for the exams against 7,76,251 registered. The overall attendance was 98.06 per cent against 98.75 per cent of the previous year. 

Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa lauded the efforts of Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar for traveling across the state to instill confidence among parents, students and teachers, and successfully completing the exams even under the difficult circumstances.

Suresh Kumar lauded the students for setting a "good example" by adhering to the social distancing norms all through the exams.  

"The students braved all odds and sustained a positive mindset despite the exams being delayed by three months. They have set a fine example to the country as they were both punctual and disciplined in maintaining social distancing norms. This is also the success of a coordinated effort by various departments like education, health, transport and home," said Suresh Kumar.

Amid criticism over conducting the exams during a health crisis, the state government had evolved a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed across the examination centres, which was also endorsed by the High Court. 

"No student got infected from the exam centre. The thermal screening, mask enforcement and social distancing ensured the children were safe. Students coming from containment zones were allotted separate rooms,” Suresh Kumar said. 

As many as 32 COVID-19 positive students and 80 students in home quarantine were not allowed to attend the exams due to safety concerns. Another 109 children of migrant workers and 49 students from outside the state were absent for the exam. 

“However, all those who could not attend the exams due to genuine reasons will be allowed to appear for the supplementary exams to be held in August and will be treated as fresh candidates," said the minister, adding that the exam had turned into a "Nada Habba" (state festival) as everyone including teachers, department officials, ministers, MLAs, volunteers from Guides and Scouts and Red Cross worked hard for its success.

The SSLC exam result is likely to be announced in the first week of August. The department will come up with a fresh SOP to ensure the safety of teachers attending the valuation work. Teachers suffering from comorbidities or aged above 55 years will be exempted from valuation work that will be held between July 13 and 30.