Steps are being taken to announce the results of SSLC examinations by June 15, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said.
He told the media here on Thursday that a manual for non-academic activities would be prepared ahead of school reopening this year. It would handle issues such as the functioning of parent-teacher associations. A proposal to form alumni associations in all schools had been included in it.
The Minister said that parents and students should not worry about the new answer key prepared for the evaluation of Chemistry answer scripts for Plus Two classes. All those who wrote the correct answers would not lose marks. However, the government policy was not to be liberal in granting marks. It was not possible to dilute the norms of the examination system to ensure 100% results.
A section of teachers had boycotted valuation of Plus Two Chemistry answer scripts for three days, pointing out anomalies in the question paper and the answer key. The government later had to set up an expert committee and come up with a new scheme for the answer key.
Mr. Sivankutty attributed the current controversy to certain vested interests. The Minister said there was something suspicious behind the boycott as there was no prior notice. The teachers resorted to a flash strike without trying to solve the problems.
“One or two teachers cannot dictate terms to the government. There is an elected government, a Minister, a Principal Secretary and a Director General of Education here. The teachers are supposed to abide by certain rules and they cannot violate them,” Mr. Sivankutty said.
“They can’t insist that the question papers and answer keys prepared by some teachers should be accepted without changes. There is an examination controller and a chairman to cross check all that. The answer key will be changed if the government felt the need,” he pointed out.
The teachers should not stage strike after making public the question papers and the answer keys. Asked about the action proposed against those teachers, he said that it would be based on a report by the Principal Secretary.
