PANAJI: As students entered the school premises at Dr KB Hedgewar High School on Saturday morning to answer their Class X public exams, they were showered with petals of marigold flowers. In schools across Goa, over 19,000 students appeared for the exam of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, under the unique circumstances on Saturday.
Despite the huge number of students answering the exam, teachers and Goa Board officials ensured smooth conduct of the test on the first day.
In most schools, students were allowed to enter the exam halls an hour before the scheduled exam time. This ensured social distancing was maintained and sanitising students’ hands and thermal screening of their temperature could take place without crowding.
Students were allowed in many places to continue their revision after entering the exam halls.
“The situation had turned tense everywhere so we decided to shower some marigold petals on the students to motivate them and make the atmosphere happy. Our teachers also gave the students ear-support guards so they do not experience discomfort from the prolonged mask use that can cause chafing of the skin behind the ears. The ear-support guard was an innovation at our school’s Atal Tinkering Lab,” said headmaster of Dr KB Hedgewar High School Vilas Satarkar.
Schools in rural areas helped transport students to the exam centres in school buses. Police personnel were also posted in many areas to ensure that parents maintain social distancing outside exam halls. At some exam centres though, it was the parents who were seen crowding together as they waited to pick up their children after the exam. Parents were kept 200m away from exam halls everywhere.
Parents and teachers from primary section of schools were engaged as volunteers at many centres to ensure that students leave and enter the exam halls without crowding.
“It helped that two minor papers of Class X and the remaining papers of Class XII were held first as there were fewer students appearing for those papers. This served as a sort of rehearsal for the main paper for which thousands are appearing,” said a teacher. The next Class X paper, the mathematics exam will be held after a gap of two days, on Tuesday.
Despite the huge number of students answering the exam, teachers and Goa Board officials ensured smooth conduct of the test on the first day.
In most schools, students were allowed to enter the exam halls an hour before the scheduled exam time. This ensured social distancing was maintained and sanitising students’ hands and thermal screening of their temperature could take place without crowding.
Students were allowed in many places to continue their revision after entering the exam halls.
“The situation had turned tense everywhere so we decided to shower some marigold petals on the students to motivate them and make the atmosphere happy. Our teachers also gave the students ear-support guards so they do not experience discomfort from the prolonged mask use that can cause chafing of the skin behind the ears. The ear-support guard was an innovation at our school’s Atal Tinkering Lab,” said headmaster of Dr KB Hedgewar High School Vilas Satarkar.
Schools in rural areas helped transport students to the exam centres in school buses. Police personnel were also posted in many areas to ensure that parents maintain social distancing outside exam halls. At some exam centres though, it was the parents who were seen crowding together as they waited to pick up their children after the exam. Parents were kept 200m away from exam halls everywhere.
Parents and teachers from primary section of schools were engaged as volunteers at many centres to ensure that students leave and enter the exam halls without crowding.
“It helped that two minor papers of Class X and the remaining papers of Class XII were held first as there were fewer students appearing for those papers. This served as a sort of rehearsal for the main paper for which thousands are appearing,” said a teacher. The next Class X paper, the mathematics exam will be held after a gap of two days, on Tuesday.
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