BHUBANESWAR: As flood situation continues to remain grim and Odisha braces for more heavy rains, the School and Mass Education department has decided to postpone admission to higher secondary schools in the State.
While the application process through Students Academic Management System (SAMS) has already started, the admission of candidates in the first selection merit list is currently scheduled from August 19-25. Online submission for ‘slide-up’ request form online by students who take admission in first selection will be done from August 19 to 27.
School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash informed this paper that as a lot of higher secondary schools are currently inundated in flood-hit districts, the admission process will be extended.
“We are postponing the first phase admissions by four to five days but the final dates will be announced by the Council of Higher Secondary Examination after analysing the flood situation,” said the Minister. Sources in the Council informed that the admissions might be extended till August 31.
The first merit list was announced by the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) on Wednesday. According to reports of the DHSE, 4,04,400 students including 2.3 lakh girls have been selected for the first phase admission.
Informing that a majority of schools in flood-hit districts are currently inundated, the Minister said the extent of damage to schools can be known only after water recedes. He said that schools in Puri district will remain closed for two more days (Friday and Saturday) in view of the flood situation.
Similarly, 40 inundated schools in Jagatsinghpur district will remain closed for the next two days.
OPSC postpones ASO exam, new date soon
The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) on Thursday postponed the Assistant Section Officer (ASO) written exam that was scheduled to be held on August 21 in wake of the severe flood situation in the State and heavy rainfall alert by the Indian Meteorological Department.
Tweeting about the development, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Chairman of OPSC Satyajit Mohanty said OPSC will notify the rescheduled date and time of the exam shortly. Candidates from the affected districts of the State had been demanding to reschedule the examination (group-B of Odisha Secretariat Service).
Earlier, candidates had appealed the OPSC to postpone the written examination for ASO as its date clashed with other national-level tests. The SSC CGL (Tier-3), RRB PO and Railway Group D examinations will be held on August 21. The OPSC will conduct the examination for recruitment of 796 ASOs. The rescheduled written exam will be held at 33 zones across the State.