School Education Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan has said that the SSLC exams will definitely take place and a decision regarding the schedule will be taken after the lockdown ends on May 3.
“Only after May 3, the schedule will be announced officially by the School Education Department. This is the first time we are faced with such a situation. So we might be forced to accommodate it in May which is usually the time for summer holidays,” he said.
The students might have to write their exams in a tighter schedule and the officials were exploring all options, the Minister said.
When asked about how physical distancing will be implemented in the conduct of exams, Mr. Sengottaiyan said that students were already sitting with adequate space in exam halls.
“After the lockdown ends, a schedule for the evaluation of Class 12 papers will also be announced. As the Chief Minister had announced, students who had missed out on writing their last Class 12 exam due to the restrictions in place for COVID-19 will be given a chance to write the exam again,” he said.
For private schools, the School education department has already given instructions to refrain from forcing parents to pay the school fees during the lockdown, the Minister said. “If any complaints are made about schools forcing parents to pay, we will take action,” he said.
