THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government is exploring the possibility of holding the pending SSLC and higher secondary school examinations in the second week of May. However, the dates have not been finalised and the new schedule may be announced after the lockdown. The cabinet meeting on Wednesday will discuss the matter and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to take a final call. As per the plan, the pending Class X and Class XII examinations are likely to begin on May 11 and the evaluation on May 15. It has also been planned to announce the results in the first week of June.
According to the suggestion, Plus One and Plus Two examinations will be held in the morning and SSLC examinations in the afternoon, sources said. On Tuesday, a Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) meeting of representatives of the teachers’ associations and an informal meeting chaired by Education Minister C Raveendranath were held to discuss the schedule of the examinations deferred due to the 40-day lockdown imposed in the country. In the two meetings, the opinion was unanimous to schedule the examinations in the second week of May.
Sources close to the general education department told TNIE that the meeting convened by the minister was informal and it plans to conduct examinations adhering to the social distancing protocols and with enough safety precautions. Raveendranath also asked General Education Secretary A Shajahan and General Education Director Jeevan Babu to prioritise the sanitisation of schools and classrooms before the examinations start.
U-turn on varsity exams Taking a U-turn from its former directive, the Higher Education Department clarified that “universities may decide the suitable dates for conducting the remaining examinations after the easing of restrictions in the state”.