Karnataka Minister denies reports about confusion on valuation of second PUC, SSLC exam papers

He had gone there to inspect a few centres where the SSLC or the 10th standard exams are underway.

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The minister reminded people not to speak about the abilities of the students with contempt.

“Our students have toiled hard and are enthusiastically appearing for the examination. They are eligible for the marks they will score. So we should not speak about our children with disrespect,” Kumar said.

The Education Minister said he had spoken to many leaders including former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and H D Kumaraswamy on conducting the examinations.

“Kumaraswamy had insisted on postponing the examination. I personally spoke to him and apprised him about the steps taken by us. I told him that we will work with more sincerity to ensure the safety of the children,” Kumar said.

The SSLC exam was scheduled to take place from March 27 but due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown it was postponed.

While the CBSE and a few other states either decided to give marks based on the students’ performance in the previous examinations such as quarterly and half-yearly exams, or gave general promotion to the students, Karnataka went ahead to hold the exam.

According to Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board officials, around 8.5 lakh students have enrolled this year for the SSLC examination. The exams are being held at 2,879 exam centres across the state.

Prior to the SSLC examination, the last exam of the Second PUC was also conducted on June 18, which was also put on hold due to the lockdown.