Over 8 lakh students to appear for first public Class 11 exams

Though several students agree that the recent decision by the Tamil Nadu government to conduct public exams for Class 11 would help them prepare for NEET and other competitive exams, some feel that facing another public exam after Class 10 would only put more pressure on them. 

Till last year, only students of classes 10 and 12 appear for public exams. 

S Karthikeyan, a Class 11 student from a higher secondary school near Pammal, said facing public exams for three consecutive years would bring students under a lot of stress. Being entangled in examination mode for three years would likely prevent them from paying attention to extracurricular activities. 

However, his classmate K Vijayakumar said, “public exam in Class 11 will surely help me to do well in the next class, as well as to prepare for competitive exams.” 

A senior official from school education department said adequate changes have been made in the mark structure and the duration of the exam to ensure that students did not feel any difficulty in preparing for consecutive public exams.

Disabled students who have sought special permission would be given additional time. 

Meanwhile, Class 12 students of the State board appeared for English two exam on Tuesday, which most students found easy. They will have few days break before the fourth paper. CBSE students from classes 12 and 10 also appeared for their exams during the day. 

The state government has brought amendments to the special rules of Tamil Nadu School Education Service in connection with the reservation in appointments of teachers.

Accordingly, Tamil Nadu Act No 16 of 2016 (for government servants) shall apply to appointments by direct recruitment to all the categories in the service, which is being treated as one unit. Under the direct recruitment other than teachers employed in recognised aided secondary schools and higher secondary schools, the qualification of district educational officers should be master’s degree from a UGC recognised university or a degree of equivalent standard in subjects such as Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Botony, Zoology, Economics, Geography, History, Commerce, Tamil and English.