VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh State government has informed the Supreme Court that it will conduct the Class XII (Intermediate second year) examinations in physical mode as there is no reliable alternative to assess the performance of students in view of the grades being given in the SSC exams instead of marks. The government also informed the SC that the Covid-19 situation in the State is improving, making it conducive to conducting exams.
The government filed an affidavit before the Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari, which on Tuesday said the State should have ‘very good reasons’ to hold the Class XII State Board examinations and observed that the State would be held responsible if there is any fatality of students arising out of the conduct of exams amid Covid-19.
The State government informed the Supreme Court that apart from grades awarded in place of marks in the SSC exams, the Board does not have any check on the internal examinations conducted by various institutions. “Thus, any assessment based on internal exams in the State of AP may not yield accurate results,’’ the government reasoned.
Further, it informed that in the Common Entrance Test conducted in the State – Engineering, Agriculture and Pharmacy Entrance Test (EAPCET), 25 per cent weightage is given to the marks obtained in Class XII. “Thus, Class XII results play a crucial role in determining the future of students,’’ the government said.“In view of the above difficulties coupled with the improving Covid situation, the authorities are of the view that it will be in the best interest of students, if the examinations are conducted,’’ the affidavit filed by the Principal Secretary (School Education) said.
The government said the examinations would be tentatively conducted in the last week of July and the actual timetable would be issued shortly and intimated to students and parents 15 days in advance. It also mentioned that practical examinations were already conducted from March 31 to April 24. The Supreme Court was informed that a total of 5,19,510 students are scheduled to appear for the Intermediate second year examinations, while 5,12,959 students are eligible to take the Intermediate first year exams.
Precautions for students’ safety