BHUBANESWAR: Amid scare of a possible outbreak again, School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash on Monday said the department may conduct summative assessment II exams of Class X and annual exams of Plus II final year students as per Covid guidelines, if needed.
He also urged the students to come to school wearing mask to avert any possibility of its spread. “I will urge students to come to school wearing masks and follow Covid appropriate behaviour on the campuses. Besides, the government, if needed, will go for the SA - II and annual Plus II exams following Covid guidelines,” Dash said.
Sources said the SA-II is expected to take place in February, while the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) is mulling to conduct the Annual Higher Secondary Exams (AHSE) 2023 for the Plus II final year students in March.
Members of Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangh also urged the state government to ensure that adequate precaution are placed in advance to ensure that there is no further disruption of education or the exam process due to Covid outbreak.
“Students have already suffered a lot in terms of learning due to lockdown, shutdown and other Covid restrictions on offline education during the last two years. Adequate steps should be taken to ensure that the same is not repeated,” said Mahasangh chairperson Basudev Bhatt.
Meanwhile, health officials said that people in the state should not panic about the new variant as it had been identified in the state during the previous outbreaks. Besides, the state has already been affected by all four waves of the virus. They, however, suggested that people should remain careful and take appropriate precautionary measures.