Data on the number of students from each school who have applied for examination centre change and the number of students from other districts who have applied to each school has to be collected to make arrangements for them to appear for the remaining Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), higher secondary, and vocational higher secondary examinations from May 26.
The government on Thursday issued a circular detailing the arrangements to be made for the smooth conduct of the examinations.
All health protocols will be followed. As schools have been closed for the past two months, examination halls, furniture, and school premises have to be cleaned up and disinfected before May 25 with the support of the Health Department, parent-teacher associations (PTAs), voluntary organisations, Fire and Rescue Services, and local self-government institutions.
On the day of the exam, furniture will be disinfected in the morning and afternoon. Students will enter the premises only through the main entrance where employees will be posted to hand out sanitisers. Physical distancing has to be strictly followed on the campus. No crowding should be allowed before or after examinations.
20 in a class
A maximum of 20 students can be seated in one classroom. Higher secondary classrooms can also be used for conducting the exams. All students must be provided with masks. It should also be ensured that they use it properly.
Head teachers should ensure that each student has access to travel facilities to reach the exam centres. Private vehicles, public transport, school buses, and vehicles arranged through PTA can be used.
In the case of schools functioning as COVID-19 care centres or housing the destitute, they should be made ready for the exams after approaching District Collectors. If schools are not available, an alternative should be found and students, parents, and officials posted for exam duty should be informed about the centre change.
If more invigilators are needed owing to the change in exam centres or increase in exam halls, primary teachers can be roped in. The requisite number of questions papers for both SSLC and higher secondary exams should be ensured in schools. The safety of question papers stored in schools should also be ensured. A district-level monitoring team will visit schools and ensure that they are ready for the exams in keeping with the COVID-19 guidelines.
