Panic gripped lakhs of students appearing for SSLC (10th standard examination) as one of the students in Hassan district tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. Besides, confirmation of Covid-19 cases in and around the examination centres in five other places across the state including Bengaluru, also left students anxious about the examination preparation.
A student appearing for the exam on Saturday in one of the centres of Arakalgud taluk in Hassan district tested positive for Covid-19. Shockingly, his report came while he was in the middle of the examination and despite the positive report, the officials allowed the candidate to attend an exam in the same hall where about 20 other kids were also present.
The incident has left the 20 other kids and supporting staff at the examination centre under tremendous stress as they were supposed to undergo health check up and self quarantine. Even as the students, parents and teachers at the centre were apprehensive, the education department officials clarified that the centre has been completely 'sanitized and fumigated.'
In another incident reported from Lakshmeshwara in Gadag district, a student who appeared for the exam on Thursday tested positive for Covid-19 and about 19 of his primary and secondary contacts were quarantined by the authorities. In yet another incident, a student from Hassan district was denied a chance to write the exam as the student's grandmother tested positive for Covid-19. However, there was no clarity whether the student appeared for the first subject examination.
Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, as many as 289 students who appeared for the exams at a centre located in Moodalapalya in West Bengaluru were under stress as a Covid-19 positive case was reported from a house which was only 80 feet from the exam centre. This apart, out of the 57 students who were under home quarantine, as many as 25 tested positive for Covid-19 and all of them have been denied a chance to appear for the exam and instead they will be allowed to write exam in July.
However, clarifying all these incidents, Primary and Secondary Education minister S Suresh Kumar told media persons that as many as 97.93 per cent students appeared for the exam.
"The overall turnout shows the confidence level among the students and parents on the preparations made by the state government. I appeal to all the parents and general public not to congregate in large numbers near the examination centre and comply with the social distancing rule to help in successful conduct of the examination.
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