Education MinisterSuresh Kumar said he felt it was the state's duty to hold the exam.
As more than eight lakh students in Karnatka appeared for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSCL) or Class 10 state board exams this morning, young students were seen outside exam centres wearing masks and trying to keep distance from each other.
Most students reached early as parents ensured there was enough time for temperature checks. The centres were cleaned and sanitised ahead of the exams and the number of students in each room was reduced to ensure social distancing.
Parents, who had come to drop off their children, were apprehensive about the exams being held at a time when Karnataka is seeing a spike in cases. The state has logged nearly 10,000 coronavirus cases so far.
Tina, whose daughter was writing her Kannada exam, told NDTV, "We are all worried about exams being conducted in such circumstances. I hope everything goes well and they stay safe. We are all extremely worried about the whole scenario. All we want is for our kids to come out safe. It should have been postponed by a month at least - the number of cases might have come down and we would have been more relaxed."
Shashikant, her husband, added that he hopes the care taken on the first day would continue. "The exams should not have been conducted now . No doubt we have to live with this (Covid 19) but my doubts are about whether they are going to sanitise the place and we do not know the co-morbidity we may have if our children get affected. "
Venkatesh, a student's father, said, "Other states have just promoted them. They could have done that here too. When there were just a few cases they postponed the exams. Now when there are many cases, they are holding it. My son could not study properly. He was so unsure about what was happening."
Education Minister Suresh Kumar said he felt it was the state's duty to hold the exam - with precautions in place.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa told reporters: "Student should come for the exam. We have made sure they will face no problems. They should come and write the SSLC exam. Suresh Kumar has also taken special care."