High focus on safety for SSLC, Plus Two exams

Isolation rooms, PPE kits arranged; classes sanitised post-polls

The SSLC and Plus Two higher secondary examinations, which for a few lakh students brought to an end an academic year marked by education disruptions, began on Thursday in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

The Plus Two students appeared for the Sociology, Anthropology, Electronic Service Technology (Old), Electronic Systems papers.

Though 4,46,471 students are to take the Plus Two examinations in 2,004 centres, the first day’s papers saw only around 70,000 students reach 933 exam centres across the State. The Science and Commerce papers will get under way on Friday.

SSLC students sat for the First Language Part 1 paper at 1.40 p.m. As many as 4,22,226 regular students and 990 private candidates are appearing for the SSLC examinations in 2,947 centres.

Schools had made arrangements for implementing the COVID-19 protocols strictly. These were shared on students’ WhatsApp groups the day before the examinations. Handwash, sanitisers, masks were made available to students, teachers, and employees. Thermal scanners were used to screen students’ body temperatures. In case of any variation, the students were seated in a separate room to take the examination.

Anjana M., Principal, Carmel Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Vazhuthacaud, said students had been asked to wear masks, carry sanitisers, and maintain physical distancing. They had also been told not to share stationery with others. An isolation room had been arranged to seat students who had COVID-19 symptoms or belonged to families with members in quarantine. Students who were COVID-19 positive had been asked to wear PPE kits. The school had also kept PPE kits ready in case students could not get them. PPE kits had been made available to supervisors too.

At SMV Government Model Higher Secondary School, Thampanoor, no Plus Two student was to appear for the examinations until Friday. The school had been putting up security personnel in connection with the Assembly elections in all 23 of its HSS classrooms. While 19 had been sanitised by the city Corporation on Wednesday, the remaining four were sanitised on Thursday, Principal V. Vasanthakumari said. The school also planned to deploy Student Police Cadets to check students’ temperatures and dispense sanitisers on exam days.

The Carmel School Principal said though the rescheduling of the examinations from March 17 till after the elections was a bit tough on the students, offline and online revision classes helped boost their confidence.

VHSE Plus Two exam

The VHSE Plus Two examinations will begin on Friday. A total of 28,565 students will sit for the examinations in 389 centres.

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