Braving the virus scare, Class 11 students take penultimate board exam

About 4.67 lakh science stream students appeared for Biology and Botany exams, while over 2.1 lakh Commerce students took exams in Business Mathematics and Statistics. In addition, more than53,000 students pursuing vocational and industrial courses also wrote their exams in various subjects, including Basic Electrical Engineering, Automobile Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering among others.

Though the exams for all subjects, which were conducted on Monday, was not that difficult, students claimed they came to the exam hall with a sense of fear.  Many of the parents could beseen dropping their children at the exam centre.

“Soon after the Central government’s announcement that there will be a total shutdown in Chennai along with Kancheepuram and Erode districts, I thought my exams might be postponed. I was a bit scared and was uncomfortable coming and taking the exams even as the State and the country are battling the threat from thisdeadly virus,” said I Sapna, aClass 11 student from Science stream at a government-aided school in Perambur.

However, she said that herBiology paper was easy to attend as most of the questions were from within the syllabus. “Five-mark questions were easy to write,”she added.

Echoing similar views, L Suresh Kumar, a Commerce group student in Pammal said he came to the exam centre with his father, who waited till the end and then dropped him at home.

The student also claimed that Business Mathematics and Statistics exams were easy. “I was able to attend all the questions and finished the exam within the stipulated time,” he added. He also said that though the government ensured facilities to wash hands and took otherprecautionary measures at the exam centre, there was a sense of fear among the students.

For Class 11 students, the last exam, scheduled on Thursday, stands postponed. The fresh date is yet to be announced. Tuesday’s Class 12 exams in Chemistry, Accountancy and Geography also stand postponed.