A large number of Class 10 students, especially those from private schools, are unlikely to give the SSLC mock examination. Many expressed fears that physically visiting their respective centres and answering the papers would increase their risk of contracting COVID-19. Given that the final examinations are scheduled to be held just a few days after the dry run, they don’t want to take the chance.
The Department of Primary and Secondary Education on Tuesday had announced that they would conduct a mock SSLC examination on July 15 and 17 as the question paper pattern had been changed to a multiple choice format. Students will be provided OMR sheets.
D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said that many private schools would conduct the mock examination online in the interest of students’ health. “Parents are not willing to send their children to school for the mock examination. It is meaningless if a mock exam is conducted and we expose students to a health risk. Instead of conducting a mock examination on two days, the department could have conducted a regular SSLC examination for all six subjects,” he said.
Online option
Students have urged the government to give them the option of taking the mock tests online. M. Dheeraj, a Class X student, said that he and his classmates were ready to take the mock test online as his parents were not willing to send him to school for an offline mock test.
Private schools have already started preparing their children for the SSLC examination. Sumanth Narayan, founder of Shanthinikethana School, said that they are conducting special classes every day for Class X students. “None of the parents were ready to send their children for mock tests to school,” she said.
Government schools
On the other hand, government schools have received a more positive response from students. Many have decided to go ahead with the mock examination. “We are expecting an attendance of around 75 % as students are anxious about the change in the pattern. However, I feel that there was no need for a mock examination. Students could have been summoned 15 minutes earlier on the main day where they could be briefed on how to shade the answer keys,” said a teacher of a government high school in North Bengaluru.
The final examinations are scheduled to be held on July 19 and 22 and around 8.76 lakh students have registered for the examination. Each subject paper will carry 40 marks. Students will have to answer three papers on each day.
