Plus Two examinations and this year's Woman's Day have a special significance for Madurai district.
Interestingly, more girls are appearing for the Class XII examinations compared to boys and the difference is nearly 2,000 students. While totally 33,082 regular students from 248 higher secondary schools are writing the Plus Two Board examinations in the district, 17,478 of them are girls and the remaining 15,604 are boys.
The Woman's Day, which goes with celebration of womanhood and recognising the importance of women empowerment, came very aptly as girls outnumbered boys when the exams commenced on Thursday with language Paper-1.
On the first day, the examination went off smoothly without any hindrance, despite threat of power cuts as generators were ready at all exam centres where students were writing Plus Two examinations.
The District Collector, U. Sagayam, accompanied by Chief Educational Officer S. Nagaraja Murugan, and others had visited Kakkaipadiniyar Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School and also O.C.P.M.Girls Higher Secondary School here to monitor the arrangements made there.
Squads
Already, special flying squads were formed by the district administration besides those of the School Education Department to have strict vigilance and prevent examination malpractices. Students were given 15 minutes time to go through the question paper first and then start answering them.
On the first day for language first paper, 147 students were absent in the district and there were no complaints of copying or any other malpractice, officials said.
This year's examinations are not just about students, teachers, flying squads and invigilators.
Power generators at all examination centres in view of power cuts is an added feature, that too powered by a State Government G.O. issued specially for the purpose.
Special focus was given by the School Education Department to make sure that every examination centre had a generator during the exam period to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
The district officials installed 79 generators in all the 79 centres.
“We are keeping in close touch with the TANGEDCO officials of Madurai district and they would intimate us at least five minutes before power goes off in a particular area so that the generator can be switched on immediately,” S. Nagaraja Murugan, Chief Educational Officer, told The Hindu after the first day's examination.
The generators hired for the purpose were ready at the centres by the time the students began writing their examination on Thursday morning – Government schools (26 generators), Corporation schools (6), Kallar reclamation schools (2), aided schools (38), matriculation schools (6) and Adi Dravidar schools (1).
Government Order
Through the special G.O., Rs.40,200 per month is provided for each government school to bear the diesel cost and other expenses to run the generator.
For the aided/matriculation schools, two-thirds of the amount will be given for each centre. On the first day, everything went off smoothly as the day was spared from power cuts at many places in Madurai and generators just remained as standby.
