Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala state government has officially decided to cancel the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) and second-year Higher Secondary (Plus Two) public examinations at centres located in the Gulf region. Education Minister V Sivankutty stated that the government will seek the Election Commission’s approval to implement this decision immediately.

The move follows a high-level meeting chaired by the Minister on Friday, which concluded that conducting examinations is currently not feasible due to the persistent threat of war and regional instability.

Evaluation and grading criteria

To ensure that students are not disadvantaged by the cancellation, the government will implement an alternative evaluation process based on existing performance metrics.

  • SSLC: Results will be calculated based on the average marks secured in the Onam, Christmas and Model examinations. Additional bonus marks will also be awarded to finalise the grades.
  • Plus Two: The marks obtained during their first-year Higher Secondary examinations will be the primary basis for their final evaluation.

The government intends to facilitate the promotion of all affected students by assessing their consistent academic performance throughout the year.

The Gulf-Kerala link

Kerala is the only Indian state that conducts its own board exams in the Middle East, serving thousands of children of Malayali expatriates across the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This system allows diaspora students to follow the state curriculum seamlessly.

However, the current geopolitical crisis has disrupted the secure transport of question papers and the deployment of invigilators from Kerala. By opting for a "weighted average" based on internal and previous scores, the government is attempting to mirror the emergency protocols used during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure students can meet university admission deadlines without delay.