COIMBATORE: The district school education department has launched a special drive to bring back students who were absent on the first day of the class 12 board examination to write the next one scheduled for Tuesday, March 5.
Headmasters of the government higher secondary schools in the district have been instructed to ask for reasons with the students for failing to attend the Tamil examination held on Friday by phone call or by visiting the home.
Official sources say, out of 33,979 registered students, as many as 159 boys and 136 girl students were absent at the language exam. Out of these absentees, around 200 students are studying in government schools. An officer from the district school education department told TNIE, “We have instructed all headmasters to ensure the students attend the board examination without fail. At the same time, headmasters have been asked to ensure that students who were absent in the Tamil exam, write the English exam which will be held on March 5.”
“Meanwhile, we ordered that headmasters should take details of students who were absent and trace them by phone call or visit their home and find out the reason for failing to attend the exam. Apart from emergency situations for the students, the headmasters should take steps so that they write the next exam. Through this, the number of absentees will reduce in the next exam,” she said. Further, she pointed out that last year, around 1200 students were absent and compared to last year, it has decreased massively this year.
A headmaster at a government higher secondary school in Thondamuthur block said, “A student was absent in our school. The class teacher went to the student’s house and he found that the student was suffering from fever. Student said that he would write the next exam.” Chief Educational Officer R Balamurali told TNIE that they have taken steps to reduce the absentee counts through this special drive.