SSLC students won't be allowed to wear watches while writing examinations from this year
Bengaluru, November 27: In order to check exam malpractices in exam centres, the Secondary Education Examination Board has prohibited the students attending the exams with watches.
This norm would come into effect from the SSLC annual exam to be held next year and it was decided to put up wall clocks in exam halls, due to which, the students have to attend the exams without wrist watches. Earlier, the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) had implemented this norm in CET exam. The KEA has purchased the wall clocks for all exam centres.
State Secondary Education Examination Board has announced the provisional time table for SSLC annual examination for 2019. As per the time table, the exams would be held from March 21 to April 4. Total 8.38 lakh students have enrolled for the exams to be held in over 3,000 exam centres.
Malpractice easy
Due to advanced technology, different varieties of wrist watches have come to market and it has become very easy to do malpractice through electronic watches. Through such electronic watches, the students can easily access their smart phones through Bluetooth option and involve in malpractice, it is said.
Some watches have the options of storing the photos and such watches are being called as cheat watches and they are available in the internet. Earlier, a student was trapped while engaging in malpractice during the exam in the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences.
Students oppose
But the students and parents opposed the decision of the board. They said that the students cannot follow the time if they do not have watches during exam hours. If needed, the board can prohibit digital watches. The students who will have normal watches should be allowed. Moreover, the digital watches which support the malpractice are costly and normal students cannot purchase them. So, the education department should withdraw its decision, they demanded.
“In order to maintain the quality of SSLC annual examination, the Board has decided to ban the watches. So, no one should wear wrist watches during exam time. Direction is given to put up wall clocks in all exam centres across the state”.
- V Sumangala, Director, State Secondary Education Examination Board
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.
CM Siddaramaiah meets PM Modi, seeks urgent clearances for two irrigation projects
New Delhi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting rectification in short term farm loan limit, Rs 10,000 cr in financial support and urgent clearances for the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Kalasa Bandhuri projects.
In the meeting in Parliament complex, Siddarmaiah pressed for several key interventions focusing on critical areas, including agriculture, water resources and urban infrastructure.
Deputy Chief Minister and Irrigation Minister D K Shivakumar, Energy Minister K J George and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh accompanied the CM for the meeting.
The chief minister highlighted that NABARD has drastically cut the Short Term Agricultural Credit Limit for Karnataka from Rs 5,600 crore in 2023-24 to just Rs 2,340 crore in 2024-25, a 58 per cent reduction that could severely impact farmers' access to soft loans.
"I request you to look into this and direct the Finance Ministry to rectify this situation so that farmers in Karnataka continue to receive soft agricultural loans," Siddarmaiah said in a representation made to the PM.
He requested Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Project, which promises to irrigate central Karnataka's drought-prone farmlands. The project has been pending since the 2023-24 Union Budget.
He also pushed for clearances of two critical water projects - the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir on the Kaveri river and the Kalasa Bandhuri project on the Mahadayi river -- both awaiting approvals from the Jal Shakti and Environment Ministries.
Highlighting Bengaluru's status as a tech hub and top GDP contributor, the state requested special assistance for urban and public transportation.
Additionally, Karnataka sought Rs 10,000 cr to develop infrastructure in 13 emerging city corporations.
On fiscal allocation, the CM complained of receiving an unfavourable deal from the 15th Finance Commission, which reduced its tax share by 1 per cent.
Siddaramaiah urged the government to provide compensation grants and ensure future finance commissions do not penalise states with significant tax contributions.
The Karnataka chief minister also met Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and congratulated her on being elected as an MP from Wayanad.
