Karnataka II PU exam: 11K absentees, 2 return over hijab

Examinations for II PUC began on a smooth note, but the number of absentees on Day 1 was more compared to 2020, a development that was blamed by some teachers on students not having the “confidence” to face exams.

With the crucial exam taking place after the hijab row, the issue surfaced in Udupi as two of the five students who went to court recently returning without writing the exam after they were not allowed to wear hijab.

The examination began with Business Studies and Logic subjects. Of the 2,35,498 candidates registered for Business Studies, 10,762 students did not turn up. Compared to the 2020 examinations, the absentees increased by 2,836.

During 2020, as many as 2,41,861 candidates registered for Business Studies subject, of which 7,926 were absent. There was no examination held during the year 2021 due to the pandemic and students were promoted based on their scores in class 10 and PUC 1.

As per the data available with the Department of Pre-University Education, highest absentees were from Bengaluru North district (1,303) as against the registered 28,130 candidates.

This was followed by Bengaluru South (1,276), Tumakuru (739), Kolar (592) and Mysuru (543). Udupi district, which is caught in the middle of the hijab controversy, reported 141 absentees.

The number of fresh students being absent is more compared to repeaters and private candidates. Though there is no clear explanation from the department for the increase in absentees, teachers cited lack of confidence.

“These students were promoted without examination and attendance was not made mandatory due to which some students skipped offline classes. Now, they are not confident enough to face exams,” said Ninge Gowda, president, Karnataka State Pre-University College Teachers Association.

Speaking to DH, state primary and secondary education minister BC Nagesh said, “Majority of these absentees are repeaters and private candidates. The percentage of fresher students skipping the exams is small in number.”

The students were happy and said the question paper was easier than expected. “An increase in the number of questions helped us to choose wisely and score more,” said Poorvik GG, a student from Bengaluru. Another student Akash M said, “Hope all other subjects will be as easy as the Business Studies paper.”

Hijab issue

Two girls in Udupi and Chikkaballapur district refused to take exams because they were reluctant to remove their hijab. The two were among the five petitioners who went to court over the hijab row from a government PU College in Udupi. Of the six pending hall tickets, two students collected the hall tickets in the morning and went to the examination centres, but upon reaching they refused to remove their hijab and went back.

Another student from Chikkaballapur was reluctant despite her father convincing her to remove Hijab and write exams.

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