Tamil Nadu govt to promote all Class X, XI students as exams cancelled due to mounting COVID-19 cases

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday announced that board exams for Class X and pending exams for Class XI students, which were to begin from June 15, stand cancelled and that all students would be promoted, owing to the rising COVID-19 cases in the state. This comes after the Madras High Court had questioned the government on the need to risk lakhs of lives by conducting exams amid the pandemic. 

On Monday, while hearing a case seeking the postponement of the exams, a bench of the Madras High Court had lashed out at the government. The bench stated that conducting class X exams were unlike re-opening of TASMAC (state-run liquor outlets) during the lockdown. 

“Can the state government give an undertaking that no student will get infected by COVID-19 if it is allowed to conduct the 10th grade board exams from June 15th,” the bench asked. 

The court had given the Government until June 11 to take a call on the exams.

Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said that in view of the cancellation of public exams for Class X and pending exams for Class XI, all students are to be considered having passed the board exams. Over 9 lakh students were to take the exam starting from June 15. 

According to the Chief Minister’s announcement, the students’ score will be calculated as follows - 80% of the marks would be awarded to the students based on their performance in quarterly and half-yearly examinations and that their attendance would be considered for the remaining 20% weightage. 

He said that certain pending examinations that were to be conducted for class XI students also stood cancelled. Even the supplementary exams for those who have not passed their Class XII exams have been postponed and students' fate would be announced later based on how the situation evolves. 

Explaining the rationale behind the cancellation of exams, the Chief Minister pointed out that COVID-19 cases in Chennai and other districts were on the upsurge. 

“Health experts say there is no possibility of cases reducing in the coming times. The government has taken this decision to protect the students” he said. 

Shortly after the announcement by the Tamil Nadu CM, a similar announcement to cancel the Class X board exams and declare all students as having passed was announced by the Puducherry Government as well. 

Earlier on Monday, Telengana announced all pass for class X students, thus increasing expectations of a similar decision in Tamil Nadu which has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in India, after Maharashtra.