CHENNAI: All Class 9 students who appeared for the annual exams this year will be promoted, the Tamil Nadu government announced on Monday. For the rest, a school-level special exam will be held in July. Besides, all students from LKG to Class 8 will be promoted, as per a circular from the School Education department.
Sources from the department said a decision to this effect was taken due to the pandemic. “The academic year began late, and students didn’t have enough time to prepare for the exams,” said an official. All schools, including State-run institutions, have been told to fill up a form attached to the circular, and provide details of students. Last year too, all students were declared ‘pass’ due to the pandemic.
Parents, students, and educationists welcomed the move, saying children with no access to the internet or mobile phones suffered due to the learning gap this year too. “The academic year started very late, and classes were held online for at least four months due to the pandemic. Students with no internet connection were disadvantaged. It will take at least a year to bridge the learning gap,” said R Srivithya, parent of a Class 9 student at a private school in T Nagar.
Concurring, Krishnaveni Parthasarathy, a teacher, added, “The syllabus was downsized taking into account the practical difficulties of teachers and students. Also, students were not mentally ready to resume in-person classes, and took time to settle in as they returned after a gap of nearly one-and-a-half years.”