Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa clarified on Tuesday morning that the decision on holding SSLC (class 10) exams in July was taken after adequate consultations.
He tweeted that it was not a unilateral decision. He and other stakeholders had been consulted before fixing the dates, keeping in mind the safety and welfare of students.
This clarification comes in the context of Health Minister K. Sudhakar stating that he was unaware of the decision of the Primary and Secondary Education Department to hold SSLC exams on July 19 and 22.
On Monday, hours after Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar announced the exam dates, Mr. Sudhakar said that he was unaware which task force the Education Department had consulted before finalising the dates. “I am not aware if the Education Minister consulted the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) members before announcing the exam dates. I will consult our TAC members and speak to Mr. Suresh Kumar in this regard,” said Mr. Sudhakar.
This had led to apprehensions about the two departments not being on the same page on conduct of exams amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hours later, Mr. Suresh Kumar issued a rejoinder stating that the Health Department had been kept in the loop and officials of the department were, in fact, part of the media conference where he had announced the exam dates.
