THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the state government deciding to restart regular school sessions for Class X and XII from January, the general education department is set to issue a notification for conducting public examinations - SSLC, HSE and VHSE.
General education secretary A Shajahan told The New Induan Express that the notification will most likely be issued on Monday. As a preliminary step towards conducting the examinations smoothly, the department has asked the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to submit a review report on Class X and XII curricula in order to select portions that need to be focused on.
The report is expected to be submitted by the end of this month. The regular classes, which would begin next month, will be exam- oriented. Shajahan said that on Thursday, schools will be issued detailed guidelines to counter the spread of COVID-19
"The notification will be issued first. SCERT has been asked to review the syllabi to select key portions for the two-month exam-oriented classes. But we will not cut down on the syllabi. Portions will be covered fully before the examinations," he said.
The state government has been exploring various options to ensure that students do not lose an academic year. Though 'First Bell' - the virtual classes started by the government after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic - is underway, schools need to ensure the completion of syllabi and revision of subjects once regular classes commence.
Earlier, the state government had announced the SSLC and second-year HSE and VHSE examinations will begin from March 17 and end on March 30. The decision was criticised by the Opposition. A meeting with the parentteachers association (PTA) is likely to be held soon to finalise the examination dates.