As teachers prepare senior students to take the revision exams from January 19 in State Board schools, they are still awaiting clarity on the final schedule this year.
Following the cancellation of quarterly and half yearly exams, the School Education Department announced two rounds of revision exams in January and March for Classes X and XII.
“The first round of exams will cover portions that we completed till the end of December. The reduction in syllabus and six working days a week helped most schools complete the portions in time,” said A. Ramu, State President, Directly Recruited Post-Graduate Teachers Federation. But the students still need a lot of motivation to take the exams seriously. “We are trying to help them prepare better by giving practice questions and by clearing their doubts, but some are yet to take it seriously,” he said.
Schools are functioning only for Classes X, XI and XII to prepare the students for the board exams later this year. A week ago, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said that the public exams would be conducted this year.
A science teacher from a government school said that in the absence of a schedule for the board exams, many students were yet to start serious preparation. “Despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the State, we are hoping that in-person classes are not cancelled for senior students. For government school students in particular, we cannot have online classes effectively,” he said.
In-person classes began for senior students only from September last year and many teachers hope that the classes continue with adequate safety measures in place. With Classes I to IX now in online mode, the extra space has come as a boon to ensure physical distancing in many schools which have a large strength in senior classes.
“While we hope that in-person classes continue, the State Government should announce the public exam schedule at least three months in advance. We understand that owing to the pandemic, there might be last minute changes but having the schedule will help teachers plan classes and revision sessions for students who have been affected due to the closure of schools last year,” said S.N.Janardhanan, State President, Tamil Nadu Vocational Teachers Kazhagam.