Thiruvananthapuram: The SSLC and Plus Two Higher Secondary Examinations for 2021 will be held from March 17 to March 30.

The Plus Two exams will be held in the morning and the SSLC exams in the afternoon, according to a notification issued by the government.

Guidelines for conducting the examination will be issued later.

Earlier, the Central Board of Secondary Education had issued a statement that exams for Classes 10 and 12 for 2021 will not be held in Jan-Feb.

The dates for the examination will be decided after February, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said.

Payment of fees

SSLC examination fees will be accepted from Wednesday till January 7 without penalty and from January 8 to 12 with penalty at the examination centers. 

Fees for the Higher Secondary examination can be paid till January 4 without penalty.

Revision classes

From January 1, schools will also begin revision classes for Classes 10 and 12. The government had urged schools to ensure all COVID precautionary steps are taken.

Model examinations will be held ahead of the public examinations.

The online sessions for the students of other classes will continue as usual.

Multiple-choice questionnaire

The education department is also planning to include more multiple-choice questions in the SSLC, Plus Two exams. Ever since classes became online, it has been difficult for students to finish their portions. But this new move will be helpful for them to write their exams smoothly. The final decision will be made at the high-level meeting held by Minister C Raveendranath.

Though CBSE had reduced the syllabus by 30%, Kerala had not taken it up fearing it will affect their further studies. Ever since there was a demand to cut down the syllabus owing to the limitations of the online classes, the Education department had instructed SCERT to prepare a report. 

The Central government had earlier permitted the states to reopen schools from October 15. In the wake of Covid pandemic, schools in Kerala have been shut from March 2020.