Kerala plans single exam for school scholarships; question papers unchanged for over two decades

Thiruvananthapuram: The Department of General Education is planning to merge all scholarship examinations for school students into a single test. The recommendation for this examination reform, prepared under the leadership of SCERT, will soon be submitted to the State Government.

The question patterns and methods of the LSS and USS scholarship exams, conducted for students of classes 4 and 7 respectively, have not been revised for over two decades. A high-level meeting to discuss reforms proposed holding a single examination combining USS with other scholarships.

Last year, one lakh students appeared for the USS exam, with 41 per cent passing. Students bagging the USS scholarship would receive ₹1,500 annually during high school classes. However, the disbursal is often irregular.

Currently, the SCERT is conducting STEPS (Student Talent Enrichment Programme in Social Science) exam in social science and NUMATS (Nurturing Mathematical Talents in Schools) exam in mathematics for class 6 students.

The proposed reform aims to identify eligible students for USS, STEPS and NUMATS scholarships through a single test. However, since USS is meant for class 7 students and the other two for class 6, a formula for integration is yet to be finalised. The final recommendation will be made only after consultations with experts and teachers.