Nine lakh students are likely to benefit in the state. (File photo)
All Class 10 students in Tamil Nadu will be promoted without exams this year, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said today, giving relief to nine lakh students who were earlier scheduled to take the exams on June 15. Mr Palaniswami also said that pending exams for class 11 students will also not be conducted.
"Class X exams are cancelled to protect lives of students. All students will be declared promoted without exams. 80 per cent marks will be calculated on the basis of marks in quarterly and half yearly exams, and 20 per cent on the basis of attendance," Mr Palaniswami said.
The announcement comes a day after the Madras High Court asked the state government to reconsider rescheduling the exams in view of soaring COVID-19 cases across the state, where the tally as of Monday stood at 33,229.
Coronavirus cases have been on the rise in Chennai and some districts, the Chief Minister said adding epidemiologists have opined that there was no scope for reduction in the spread of the pathogen in a short period of time.
Hence, considering the representation of parents and the present trend of virus spread, the board examinations scheduled to be held from June 15 for class 10 and for subjects that could not be conducted for class 11 are fully cancelled and students are declared promoted, he said
The opposition has been targeting the state government for endangering lives of students after it announced that these exams would take place from June 15.
Yesterday M K Stalin asked the chief minister to follow the Telangana model promoting all students without exams. "Is it right for Tamil Nadu with 33,229 cases to hold exams when Telangana with 3,650 cases has cancelled exams," Mr Stalin asked.
Opposition parties had also called for statewide protests tomorrow outside homes in groups of five complying with COVID norms.
A petition was also filed in the High Court by a teachers'' association challenging the government's decision to conduct the exams amid the pandemic.
On Monday, while hearing the matter, the court said the state government cannot put lives of more than nine lakh students at stake and asked the government to consider postponement of the exams in view of soaring COVID-19 cases .
We cannot allow the state to put lives of more than nine lakh students at stake. This is not like opening TASMAC (liquor) shops during lockdown, the court said.
The bench, however, restrained itself from passing any interim order and adjourned the hearing to June 11 directing the state to inform its stand.
With inputs from PTI