SHILLONG, April 15: The Class XII exams will begin in the state from Friday despite a spike in the COVID-19 cases.
There are altogether 36,685 candidates in the three streams.
In Shillong, which is recording a growing number of the cases, 10,925 candidates will appear in 30 centres. The state government has decided to go ahead with the exams as scheduled ignoring the concerns expressed by many students and their parents.
Meghalaya Board of School Education Joint Director (MBoSE), M Marbaniang told The Shillong Times that the Board has issued detailed instructions to all officers in-charge to strictly adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Health department.
As per the direction, the students have to wear a mask and their body temperature has to be checked at the entry point. The SOP disallows gathering of candidates before and after exams within or outside their exam centres. In addition, hand sanitisers are to be provided or brought by all candidates during the exam.
Marbaniang said as per the directives of the Health department, if a candidate in any exam hall is found to be COVID positive, that particular hall will be sealed while the rest of the premises of the centre will continue to function.
The students from that hall will be shifted to other halls. He said this is the reason why the Board has asked all exam centres to reserve two-three rooms.
Candidates, who are found to be positive, need not worry about their exams as the Board will conduct separate exams for them later, Marbaniang said.
He also said that the Board would hold discussions with the traffic police in Shillong to ensure that the students do not get stuck in traffic congestion and they have a free movement to their exam centres.
