Examinations of the various universities in Kerala, which were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume from May 11. According to an order from the Kerala Higher Education Department, the pending examinations will be conducted in a way to ensure it is completed in a week.
The order, by Principal Secretary Usha Titus, was issued following a video conference held with the Minister for Higher Education Department KT Jaleel and Vice-Chancellors of the state universities.
“Sufficient notice must be given to the students. Exams should also be conducted following all the safety precautions laid down by the Health Department for the containment of COVID-19,” the order states.
It has also been stated that the faculties can start home valuation of the examinations from April 20, Monday.
The order states that in order to evaluate the pending papers, universities can try out a screen marking system. The Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD) has developed an on-screen marking system and the director of IHRD has been directed to make presentations about the technique to all state universities.
It also states that universities should provide online classes and assignments for the students.
Universities are also asked to keep their libraries open for the research students, by taking all the necessary safety precautions.
Meanwhile, following the meeting with Minister KT Jaleel, a committee has been formed to make recommendations on the conduct of examinations and evaluation. The committee is headed by Dr Ekbal, a member of the Education and Health Planning Board.
The decision to resume the exams is part of the relaxation measures by the state government, as the COVID-19 situation in the state is relatively under control. In recent days, the state has been seeing an increase in the number of recoveries. The state has so far seen a total of 399 COVID-19 cases. As on Saturday, a total of 257 people have recovered from the disease, whereas 140 people are still under treatment for the disease.
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