Decision on assessment for Classes 1 to 9 students will be taken soon: Karnataka Education Minister

Suresh Kumar added that the suggestion put forth by unaided schools will also be considered before reaching a conclusion on the matter.

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar have announced that the decision on the assessment of students studying in classes 1 to 9 in the state will be taken soon. The physical classes have been suspended in the state earlier due to the rise in coronavirus cases and in a bid to contain it. 

“The decision on how they (students of class 1-9) will be assessed for the academic year 2020-21 will be taken in a couple of days,” he said after a meeting with school managements and parents association in Bengaluru.

Suresh Kumar added that the suggestion put forth by unaided schools will also be considered before reaching a conclusion on the matter. “If unaided schools are planning to conduct summative assessments to promote students to the next class, we shall look into it as well,” he said.

Earlier, the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) had written to the Minister demanding exams to be conducted. “It is unfair on the students who have been attending classes regularly if exams are not conducted,” D Shashikumar, KAMS general secretary said.

The regular classes for class six to nine started from January 1 in the state after the primary and secondary schools remained shut for more than half of the 2020-21 academic year.

Virtual classes or online classes were the only means to impart education to the students between Class 6 and 10 to contain coronavirus cases last year. The decline in cases encouraged the government to conduct regular classes but the sudden spurt in cases, which the Karnataka Health Minister called 'Second Wave of Coronavirus' has now forced the education department to suspend regular classes for standard 6 to 9.

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