Ahmedabad: The state board exam for Class 12 students of both general and science streams will be conducted from July 1 with all COVID-19 protocols in place, the Gujarat government announced on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who chaired a high-level meeting on the issue, took the decision in the larger interest of over 6.83 lakh students, said Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.
A detailed exam schedule will be announced in the next few days, an official said.
As many 1.40 lakh students of science stream and 5.43 lakh pupils of general stream (arts and commerce) of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) are expected to write the exam commencing from July 1, said the minister.
To maintain social distancing in view of the coronavirus outbreak, only 20 students will be accommodated in one exam hall, said Chudasama, adding all SOPs related to the pandemic will be strictly followed during the test .
Since only 20 students will be accommodated in one hall, the state government will increase the number of exam centres as well as rooms for this year’s exam, he said.
Moreover, students will be allotted exam centres which are nearer to their residence to avoid travel, the minister said.
If a student misses the exam due to coronavirus, he/she will be allowed to reappear after 25 days with a new set of question papers, he said.
Notably, the state government had earlier cancelled the state board exam for Class 10 students in view of the recent surge in coronavirus cases and granted them mass promotion.