The State government will hold Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), higher secondary education (HSE) and vocational higher secondary education (VHSE) examinations as per schedule from May 26 to 30. Nearly 13 lakh students are expected to appear for the examinations.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Central government had allowed the conduct of the public examinations in a communique on Tuesday. The decision of the Cabinet early in the day to postpone the tests until June stood annulled.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs later in the day granted exemption to State boards, the CBSE, and ICSE to conduct the annual examinations for Classes 10 and 12.

Special buses

Special buses could be arranged by the State to transport students to the examination centres, a letter to the State Chief Secretary said.

Mr. Vijayan said parents or students who found it challenging to reach examination centres due to the lockdown could seek the help of the district or State authorities. The government would ferry them to the examination centre and back.

Invigilators would seat students well apart in exam halls. Candidates have to subject themselves to a thermal scan at the gates of the examination centre. They have to wear face masks and use the sanitiser kept near examination halls compulsorily.

The Chief Minister said there would be no examination centres in containment zones. If a school was in a containment zone, examinations would not be held there; any other school outside the containment zone would be earmarked as an exam centre.

‘No differences’

The government had no differences with the Centre on the issue of the conduct of public examinations. The State’s decision to hold the examinations, he hoped, would put controversies to rest.

The Opposition had slammed the government for its flip flops on the issue. It said the decision of the government to push ahead with the conduct of the pubic examinations imperilled the safety of students and parents and rendered them vulnerable to the risk of exposure to the pandemic.

When pressed on the Opposition’s stance, Mr. Vijayan said the Congress was on a fault-finding mission.