Class X students to be promoted without exams in Telangana: CM Chandrasekhar Rao

All 5.3 lakh students to be promoted based on internal assessment marks

Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has decided not to conduct the SSC examinations in the state this year, due to the increasing COVID-19 cases. All the 5.35 lakh 10th students would be promoted to the next standard by providing them with grades based on their internal assessment marks.

In a review meeting with education department officials on Monday, the chief minister took the decision as it would not be possible to conduct examinations due to the spread of coronavirus in the state, a CMO official said.

Child rights activists welcomed the decision as one saving the 5,34,903 students from the possibility of contracting the virus.

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3650 COVID-19 cases were reported in Telangana till Sunday night, most of them from Hyderabad. Out of the 206 fresh cases on Saturday, 152 are from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation area. Out of the 143 fresh cases on Friday, 116 are from Chennai.

The education department was, till Saturday, keen to conduct the examinations.

However, the Telangana high court, which was hearing a petition challenging the exam decision, directed the state not to hold them in the Hyderabad area now. It allowed exams in other districts with several safety conditions.

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In a revised schedule, exams were to begin from June 8. Education officials then opined that such a segmented arrangement would be complicated and the determination to hold exams is prone to blame the government in case of spike in cases with congregation of students at the centres.

The High Court order has thus, compelled the education department to announce deferment of exams on Saturday night.

Follow: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths on June 8

SSC final examinations comprise 11 papers under six subjects. Of this, three examinations pertaining to two subjects were conducted in March before the rest were postponed due to the COVID-19 situation and the High Court orders.

Intermediate exams in Telangana were conducted earlier in March. The remaining Geography and modern language exam were held on June 3.

A call on the degree/Post Graduate course examinations will be taken later based on the situation that prevails, officials said.