Karnataka government puts off PU-II board exams

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday announced postponement of pre-university (PU) Board Exams for PU-II students in light of the increasing COVID-19 cases in the State. The exams were due to start from May 24 and end on June 16.

Speaking to media persons, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said new dates will be announced well in advance and appealed to the students to continue with their preparations without getting disheartened.

Earlier, the department of pre-university education (DPUE) responded to the requests from parents, teachers, and students and postponed practical exams that were scheduled to be held from April 18 to May 18.

Amid the second wave several universities including Bangalore University in Bengaluru and Karnataka University in Dharwad postponed the exams. There was anxiety among students of some universities like Bengaluru North and Visvesvaraya Technological Universities, who waited till the last minute to cancel their exams.

"Lecturers will continue working from home. They need to be in touch with the students, to monitor their learning progress. Those who are on COVID-19 duty will continue to work," the minister explained.

Meanwhile, the State government decided to promote first-year pre-university (I PU) students . "A bridge course will be planned (for them) during the commencement of the new academic year," Suresh Kumar clarified. However, the government is yet to announce any change to the SSLC (class 10) exams scheduled to be held from June 21 to July 5. Earlier, Kumar had announced that a continuous and comprehensive evaluation programme will be the deciding factor for the promotion of students from classes 1 to 9.