Amid demands for postponement of annual board examinations in the wake of the prolonged unrest in Kashmir, the authorities today said they would go ahead with the exams as per schedule but decided that students would have to only attempt 50 per cent of the total questions.
Examinations have already been postponed by a month. But now they are scheduled to begin from November 14. The dates have been chosen on a number of reasons but the main reason is to save the academic career of the students, Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE), Zahoor Ahamd Chatt told reporters here.
He said the exams cannot be postponed further to March session as the students have to prepare for the competitive examinations.
Chatt said the Board has also approached the security apparatus of the state for conducting hassle-free examinations.
The JKBOSE chairman said the question papers have been redesigned to provide 50 per cent relaxation to the candidates appearing in class 10 and class 12 examinations.
The decision was taken keeping in view the interests of the students as well as the difficulties which they face, he said.
We are now asking the students to attempt any five questions out of 10. In nutshell, anybody who has covered 50 per cent of the syllabus, will be in a position to attempt 100 per cent marks, the official said.
He said for language papers, the students would also have to attempt any 50 marks out of the 100.
The JKBOSE chairman said the timing of the examination has been preponed by two hours and would now start at 11 AM.
Chatt said those students who have been injured in the current unrest can approach the JKBOSE and they would be provided a helper to write on their behalf in the examination.
Asked about if students, who are supposed to appear in the examination, were in jails, he said we do not have information about any such student.
About the relocation of examination centres, Chatt said only one centre has been relocated as the school has been occupied by security forces.
There are three schools which have been occupied by troops. We have received communication from one school and we have relocated the centre from there, he said.
In case we receive a relocation request from other two schools, we will relocate them as well, he said, adding no private school has been designated as an examination centre this year.
Meanwhile, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) today appealed for postponement of annual board examinations till March next year, saying "slashing down of syllabus is futile as it will only harm the interests of the students in the long run".
In the given situation, the children have been "traumatized" by the current cycle of violence and under the circumstances "forcing" them to appear in exams would be "detrimental" to them, Secretary General of KCCI Faiz Bakshi said in a statement here.
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