After Classes 5 and 8, Karnataka to conduct centralised annual examination for 9, 11

The move aims at keeping a consistent tab on the learning curve of the students at each level and help them improve their learning abilities. The school education department has also allayed the fears of detention in case of a student not clearing the examination.

As per the guidelines laid down by the state government, the question papers for Class 9 examination will be set by the Karnataka School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Council and the evaluation is set to happen at the taluk level.

For the first PUC examination, the question paper will be set by the pre-university (PU) board and the evaluation will take place at the college level. The schools and colleges will be treated as examination centers for both Class 9 and first PU examinations respectively.

For Class 9 examination, teachers from nearby schools will be appointed as room supervisors, while for the first PU examination, the respective college lecturers will be appointed as room supervisors. Following the evaluation of Class 9 and first PU examinations, the respective teachers/principals are directed to upload the results immediately on SATS (Students Achievement Track System).

The guidelines also state that for Class 9 examination, no student shall be detained in case he/she fails. In such a situation, the school is directed to inform only the student and the student’s parents about the results. However, for the first PUC examination, the board will be conducting a supplementary examination at the college level, if a student fails to get the passing mark.

A senior education official speaking to The Indian Express said, “The idea is to track, monitor and analyze the performance of students as they progress through higher levels of education. Many survey reports have indicated that as students progress to higher education, the learning achievement dips, especially in class 8, 9 and 10. Hence it is imperative that we improve the learning lacunae.”

It can also be recalled that, last academic year (2022-23) the school education department introduced annual examination for Class 5 and 8, after which landed the government in troubled waters.

Private school management associations had filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the government order that mandated exams for Class 5 and 8, citing that it would pressurize and cause tension among students.

However, in March 2022 the division bench consisting of Justice G Narendar and Justice Ashok Kinagi allowed the government to conduct board exams for Class 5 and 8 students studying state board syllabus. The court also directed the government to confidentially inform the student who has failed and to give the student the necessary training and remedial classes to improve the learning skills, without detaining him/her. The court also directed the examination should contain questions within the syllabus and not outside the syllabus. Further, when the petitioners moved the Supreme Court on March 27, the apex court dismissed the petition and allowed the state to conduct the examination.