CHENNAI: The conduct of the Class 12 State Board exams for nearly 35,000 candidates who could not attend it due to the lockdown is shrouded in uncertainty as only a small proportion of them have applied for it, said School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan on Wednesday.
This is likely to delay the publication of the results for the Class 12 examinations, he said. The results are usually published in April or May. This year the results are yet to be announced. This has also raised concerns among students applying for higher studies and other career opportunities.
A total of 34,652 students did not write the final Class 12 state board examination as they were unable to reach their exam centres owing to the lockdown. Sengottaiyan said that only 718 of these students have expressed willingness to write the exam.
This has created confusion if the government should conduct an exam for these students alone, the minister said. “Only after conducting exams for all the students will the results be announced,” he said. He added that he will consult the parents of the students who have expressed willingness to write the exam and discuss their feedback with the Chief Minister before taking any final decision.
Sengottaiyan further said that given the present situation, it may take a long time for schools to reopen and added that a decision to open schools will be taken by the Chief Minister after consultations with teachers, parents, revenue and medical officials.
Answering a question on banning online classes and exams for students, he said that the matter is in court and that the state will decide based on the court’s order.