For many students, the commute to their examination centre was strenuous: in Karnataka, some travelled by boats while those outside the State crossed borders. All were armed with masks and sanitisers to protect themselves.
In Mangaluru, 27 students from Kasaba Bengre locality came by boat. The Department of Public Instruction authorities ensured that their health screening was done and that they reached their centres in time.
The stressful experience of giving a board examination during pandemic was eased considerably in many districts as people went out of their way to help students. In Gadag district, autorickshaw drivers decided to ferry students to and from their centres free of cost. In another instance, police personnel in Shirahatti dropped two children to their centre.
At one examination centre in Gangavathi in Koppal district, teachers created a festive atmosphere by putting up “thorana” outside the school and giving their students a warm welcome. They even saluted the students to commend their determination.
From other States
Of the 614 students from outside the State who were registered to sit for the paper, 555 students appeared for the examination on Thursday. They came from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. Students from border towns in Kerala came via the Talapady check-post and transportation was arranged by the Education Department. Students in Goa, however, did not have to come to Karnataka to write the paper as there were two examination centres there. Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said that the authorities arrived at the border early in the morning to collect the question papers and answer booklets.
Around 68 girls who are victims of child marriages, some of whom were mothers under the age of 18, gave the examination on Thursday.
