JOIN USDDPI A Shridharan assured that all safety measures will be followed in the SSLC examination centres.
Students should shun fear and write the exams with confidence, he said.
He took part in the phone-in programme organised by Prajavani in Madikeri on Wednesday and answered the queries of the students and their parents.
The SSLC examinations will be held in a new pattern, on July 19 and 22. As many as 1,352 teachers have been deployed on examination duty and all of them have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Also, Covid-19 tests have been conducted for them, he added.
There are 6,906 candidates and none of them is Covid-19 positive. If any symptoms are found, they will be facilitated to write exams in a separate room. The exams will be held in 41 centres in the district, said the DDPI.
He further said that the body temperature of the students will be checked with a thermal scanner at the examination centre. The examination centre will be sanitised before the exams. Prohibitory orders will be clamped in the surroundings of the examination centre.
Students are allowed to come to the examination centre on July 17, to be sure of the measures, he added.
A facility has been made for free transportation of students in KSRTC buses to the exam centres. The students should show their admission ticket to avail the facility, said the DDPI.
Shridharan said that no examination centre has been opened in the areas vulnerable to floods. In case any difficulties arise due to heavy rain, the students will be shifted to the nearest examination centres.
Students ask queries
Varshitha, a student from Koodumangalore School, wanted to know whether there will be social distancing during exams. The DDPI replied that on normal occasions, 24 students will be seated in a room. But, due to the pandemic, only 12 students are allowed in a room.
Karthik, also from Koodumangalore, asked whether three hours will be sufficient to answer 120 questions. The DDPI said that the difficulty level of questions will be less and the time will be sufficient. The grading system will not in any way affect the future of students.
Sufaira from Netaji High School in Ballamavati said that she needs more time for solving Mathematical problems. The DDPI suggested spending less time on other subjects and reserving more time for Mathematics. The exam will be from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm.
He also expressed his hope that all students attending the exams will be successful.
Parents speak to DDPI
Murthy, a parent from Kushalnagar, said that due to mobile phone network issues, the online classes were interrupted. The DDPI said that in hilly regions, teachers have done their best to solve students' confusions, through alternative modes.
To a query from Somanna from Balele, the DDPI clarified that the students from private schools will also be provided free transportation facility by KSRTC.
Another parent Malathi from Palibetta asked whether children should bring masks along with them. The DDPI said it is better to bring a mask. If the child has no mask, it will be provided at the examination centre.
K B Raju from Kushalnagar said that the children of labourers did not have proper online education due to network issues and a lack of smartphones.
The students could have been promoted to the next class on the lines of the Tamil Nadu model, he said.
The DDPI answered that it was the government's decision to conduct the exams.