Amid cancellation of CBSE board exams, Karnataka govt to go with State board 10th standard exam

Bengaluru, Apr 14: The Karnataka government on Wednesday said it has not taken any decision on cancelling the State board 10th standard exam. This comes against the backdrop of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) cancelling the 10th standard and postponing the 12th standard examinations due to the prevailing coronavirus pandemic.

The State Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar issued a statement saying, "The Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exam will take place from June 21."

The statement further said no decision like the CBSE has been taken. However, keeping in view the situation in future, an appropriate decision would be taken, the Minister was quoted as saying in the statement.

Karnataka was among the few states, which had last year successfully conducted the 10th class and second year pre- university exams even when the coronavirus cases were at it peak. But other States opted to give promotion to all the students.

The Karnataka government, particularly Kumar, has been maintaining that the 10th and 12th standard exams are crucial for the students' academic growth as the board exams decide their future.

The State had even arranged free transport for the students to reach the exam centres and reserved rooms for those who have tested COVID-19 positive to appear for the exam last year. The initiative taken by the State government was widely applauded. This year, however, the pandemic marred the academic activities of the children.

Though many children were able to attend online classes, many under-privileged children did not get the opportunity to get proper education this year. According to Education Department, many girls were married off by their parents in north Karnataka while boys were forced to work as labourers as there were no classes.