Class XI exams in Kerala to be held from Sept 24 adhering to COVID-19 protocol

Thiruvananthapuram: A day after the Supreme Court allowed the Kerala government to hold physical exams for Class 11 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government on Saturday announced that the examinations will be held from September 24 to October 18.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty said the exams will be held in the forenoon and strictly adhering to the COVID-19 health protocol.

"The exams for Higher Secondary students will start on September 24 and will end on October 18. The Vocational higher secondary exams will however end on October 13. There will be a gap of one to five days between the exams," Sivankutty said in a release.

The timetable for the exams is available on http://dhsekerala.gov.in

Allowing the Kerala government to hold physical exams for Class 11, the apex court had yesterday expressed satisfaction over the steps being taken by it to ensure that no untoward situation is faced by students.

The state government in an affidavit told the top court that online examinations will be a disadvantage for students with no access to laptops and mobile phones.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and C T Ravikumar had dismissed an appeal filed by lawyer Rasoolshan A, challenging a Kerala High Court order refusing to interfere with the state government's decision to hold offline exams.