Amid Covid-19 surge, Karnataka govt mulls postponement of II PU exams

With just a couple of weeks left for the final examination of II PUC (Class 12), the state government is mulling to postpone it keeping in mind a rapid surge in Covid-19 cases.

The annual examinations are scheduled to be held from May 24.

Taking into consideration the reports by several doctors and members of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Covid-19, who have cautioned the government about possible worsening of the pandemic situation by mid-May, the Department of Primary and Secondary Education is seriously considering postponing the exams.

Read | Government asks centrally-funded institutions to postpone all offline exams scheduled in May

Confirming the move, a senior official from the department told DH that they have been considering deferring exams keeping in mind the safety of students. “It (postponing exams is 90 per cent confirmed... An official decision will be announced in a couple of days after consulting the minister,” the officer said.

Incidentally, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar had called for a meeting in this regard with the department officials on Monday to discuss the issue. However, with the tragic turn of events in Chamarajanagar, where Suresh Kumar is a guardian minister, the minister had to leave for the district and the meeting was called off, according to sources in the Education department.

The department was also ready to dispatch draft admission tickets to the colleges. However, with the minister calling for a meeting, the process was stalled, according to officials.

In the meantime, the department is also flooded with requests from parents’ groups urging it to postpone the exams. It can be recalled that the department has already deferred the practical examination last week. As many as seven lakh students will be appearing for the exams across Karnataka besides thousands of teaching and non-teaching staff who will be deployed on exam duty.