Year-end examinations for Classes 1 to 9 will likely begin before April 10.
The decision to explore the possibility of conducting the examinations was taken at a meeting of the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) monitoring committee chaired by Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty on Tuesday.
The meeting decided that in-person learning would continue for Classes 1 to 9 till the end of March. The State Council of Educational Research and Training was tasked with the approach to the evaluation for these classes. Class tests would be held to prepare students for the exams.
The QIP meeting was followed by an online meeting with other teachers’ organisations and came on the heels of announcement of additional guidelines for full-day schooling without number restrictions from February 21.
It was also significant for ensuring teachers’ support for resumption of classes in full swing, completion of portions at the earliest, and preparing students to write the examinations with adequate revision behind them.
District-level meets
It was decided that meetings would be convened in each district by the Collector and district panchayat president to review arrangements for resumption of regular school, and take decision on aspects such as student transportation, health, school infrastructure, and so on.
School PTA and class PTA too would meet to review the arrangements. Action plans would be drawn up to complete portions
It would not be necessary for teachers to conduct online classes once students were in school till evening. It would be up to the teachers to decide if students needed them.
However, teachers should provide academic support to students not able to attend school as they were unwell. Digital classes on KITE Victers channel would continue.
Focus area
On the contentious issue of focus area for the SSLC and the Plus Two examinations, teachers opined that with portions being completed and students getting more physical classes, focus area did not hold much relevance.
However, by going ahead with the already decided focus area and marking pattern, students’ stress would be lessened. Teachers organisations, in the second meeting, also pressed for a rethink, but the government stance was that it wanted to ensure a more qualitative evaluation of students.
Denying that the government was stifling any dissenting voices or would take action against those criticising it, the Minister acknowledged teachers’ contributions to public education.
The decision to conduct classes on Saturdays was only temporary, the teachers were told.
The teachers demanded expeditious staff fixation, train travel facilities for them, curriculum revision, decision on mid-day meal implementation, regularisation of teachers, rethink on numbers of answer scripts to be valued as per the revised higher secondary exam manual, more remuneration for paper valuation, clarity on Plus One exams, and avoiding action against teachers for valuation errors.
