Revised SOP issued for conducting exams amid COVID-19
New Delhi: The government has issued a revised SOP for conducting examinations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, removing the provision that allowed symptomatic candidates who insist on taking an exam to do so in isolation.
According to the revised document by the Health ministry, in regular course, a symptomatic candidate should be referred to the nearest health centre and given an opportunity to undertake the examination through other means, or the university or educational institution shall arrange for taking the exam at a later date when the student is declared physically fit.
"However, if a student is found to be symptomatic, the permission or denial thereof, in such cases shall be granted as per the policy already enunciated on the issue by the Examination Conducting Authorities," the revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) said.
The ministry had on September 2 issued guidelines as per which staff and examinees from containment zones shall not be permitted to be physically present at exam centres and there will be alternative arrangements for such students.
Such students shall be given an opportunity to undertake the examination through other means, or universities and educational institutions shall arrange for taking the exam at a later date for them.
According to the SOP, appropriate arrangements for personal protection gears like face covers or masks, and other logistics like hand sanitisers, soap, sodium hypochlorite solution etc. shall be made available by universities, educational institutions, examination conducting authorities or examination centres to the staff as well as students as per requirements.
"Exam functionary and examinees may also submit self-declaration about health status at the time of entrance to the examination centre. Such self-declaration form may be circulated at the time of issue of admit tickets," the guidelines said.
If any examination functionary or examinee fails to meet the self-declaration criteria, they shall not be allowed entry, the SOP underlined.
Also, only asymptomatic staff and students shall be allowed inside the examination hall, the SOP stated, adding wearing face cover or mask is mandatory.
The face cover or mask has to be worn at all times inside the examination centre by all, it underlined.
Authorities concerned should plan out the examination schedule in a staggered manner so as to avoid overcrowding at any examination centre on any day, the SOP stated.
Examination centres in containment zones shall not be allowed to function, it said.
For pen and paper-based tests, the SOP outlines that the invigilator will sanitise his or her hands prior to the distribution of question papers or answer sheets and the examinees will also sanitise their hands before receiving or handing back these materials.
The collection and packing of the answer sheets at every stage will involve sanitisation of hands. The answer sheets will preferably be opened up after 72 hours have elapsed post collection of papers, the guidelines recommended.
"Use of spit/saliva for counting and distributing sheets shall not be allowed," the SOP stated.
The examination centre should have a designated isolation room for isolating any person who is found symptomatic at the time of screening or during examination, till such time medical advice may be sought.
A clear policy on allowing or disallowing symptomatic candidates to undertake examinations shall be delineated by the examination conducting authorities in advance, the SOP stated.
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Confident we are going to win Kerala: Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed confidence in the victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, saying the Congress-led alliance will win more than 75 seats out of the total 140 in the state.
Tharoor, who hails from Kerala, said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls, most of which predicted a victory for the UDF that has been out of power for 10 years in the state.
"We have been on the ground. I have campaigned in 59 constituencies across 12 districts out of 14. I was very confident we are going to win.
"Everything that I have picked up from not just my party colleagues and workers but also from other observers, media and others have always convinced me that we were going to score a comfortable win of above 75 seats. And all the (exit) polls have confirmed the same thing," he told reporters here.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls but in general he was not a big fan of exit polls in India.
"Because ours is not purely a homogenous society. We have to take into account gender issue, caste issue, class issue, regional disparities. You never get a convincingly large enough sample to give an accurate poll and now there is the additional complication that we have heard about in West Bengal this year that many people are unwilling to answer the questions of the pollsters," he said.
The Congress leader said normally, it used to be below 10 per cent that people said that they would not answer.
"Even if you are a reputable exit pollster, in Bengal, one polling company has said 60 per cent of people refused to answer. So, what is the worth of a poll where 60 per cent of your respondents have not answered," he said.
Several exit polls on Wednesday predicted a comeback by the Congress-led UDF in Kerala after 10 years, dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Polling for the 140-member Kerala assembly was held on April 9. Results of assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, besides Kerala, will be announced on May 4.
