Will notify State Board exams after poll schedule: Sengottaiyan

CHENNAI: The State Board examinations will be announced only after dates for the Assembly elections are out, School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan told reporters in Chennai on Thursday.  Steps will be taken to conduct special classes for students of classes X and XII, ahead of the exams, the minister added.

Meanwhile, teachers and students have urged the government to release revised syllabus for the exams. 
The School Education Department had earlier said that about 40 per cent of the syllabus will be made optional and the remaining will be treated as priority syllabus. 

PK Ilamaran, leader of the Tamil Nadu Government Teachers’ Association, said that the government should resume in-person classes for higher secondary students and announce priority syllabus, making it easy for students to prepare for public exams as an immediate measure and install smart classes as schools reopen.

There are also no clear announcements on how practical exams will be held and students have had no exposure to laboratory work in the academic year. While private schools have been training students on virtual labs, government school students have not had the training.

CBSE board exams from May 4
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams for classes X and XII will be held offline from May 4 to June 10, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announced Thursday. However, the timetable for exams have not been released.

Last week, minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had tweeted, “I will announce the date of commencement for CBSE Board exams on December 31.” Pokhriyal had earlier said the board exam will be held after February.

Students are expecting the exam to be easier as 30 per cent of the syllabus has been slashed and in addition, the exam will have 33 per cent internal choice as well. The minister also said that there could be an alternative to practical exams owing to the pandemic.