Bengaluru: Karnataka's school education and literacy minister, Madhu Bangarappa, announced on Friday that state board schools will not hold common assessments for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 this academic year. Instead, summative assessment-2 will be conducted for classes 5, 8, and 9. This decision follows the state’s recent withdrawal of exam notifications in three districts, a move that came after a reprimand from the Supreme Court during hearings on appeals against the Karnataka High Court’s decision to uphold the exams last year.

Bangarappa explained that although board exams were introduced for these classes to reduce fear and anxiety, the case is currently pending in the Supreme Court, and the state will comply with its final order. Initially, the Karnataka government had announced common assessments, with question papers prepared by the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board and evaluations at the taluk level. However, private schools opposed the move and approached the courts, leading to a series of legal proceedings, including an interim stay by the Supreme Court in March this year.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Chennai (PTI): VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said that his party received a request from TVK for support and the high-level committee of his party will decide whether to support the Vijay-led party to form the government.

The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly and emerged as the single largest party. Vijay will have to resign from one of the two constituencies he has won.

Though the Congress party, which has five MLAs, has extended support to TVK, the actor-politician-led party was still short of as many seats to touch the magic number of 118, the majority mark in the 234-member House.

"We received the request letter from TVK. We are thankful for that. We have not ignored his (Vijay's) request. We have a procedure. Therefore, our party's high-level committee will decide soon. We are going to discuss the merits and demerits of our position," the VCK leader told reporters here.

With regard to the delay in the governor's call to the TVK, which is the single largest party, to form the government, Thirumavalavan requested the governor to invite Vijay to form the government. "It is a constitutional right and people's verdict," he added.

Asserting that the governor cannot say that Vijay should hold 118 MLAs' support now itself to form the government, he said that after taking over power, Vijay has to prove an absolute majority only on the floor of the Assembly.