Amid escalating tensions in West Asia, the SSLC and Class 12 examinations scheduled to be held in the Gulf region have been cancelled, Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty confirmed. The decision has been taken in view of safety concerns affecting students in the region.
To ensure that students are not academically disadvantaged, the state government has introduced alternative evaluation measures. For the 633 students who were unable to appear for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations in the Gulf region, results will be prepared based on their performance in model or term examinations, supplemented with a certain percentage of grace marks.
Similarly, for 592 students who were scheduled to appear for the second-year higher secondary examinations, the marks obtained in their first year will be carried forward. These will be combined with Continuous Evaluation (CE) and practical marks secured during the second year to determine final results.
The minister also clarified that students from Kerala who had travelled to the Gulf region for any purpose and were stranded due to the conflict would be eligible for the same provisions. However, such cases will be subject to verification by school authorities, including validation of hall tickets, visas, and passports. School principals will also be responsible for certifying the examinations missed by these students.
Students who are not satisfied with the results awarded through this alternative process will have the opportunity to appear for improvement examinations when they are conducted.
According to the minister, the SSLC results are expected to be declared in the third week of May, while the second-year higher secondary results are likely to be announced on May 25.
In addition to these measures, the state government plans to strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism related to continuous assessment in schools. Concerns have been raised regarding inconsistencies in the way teachers award marks, often without fully aligning with the objectives of the evaluation system. To improve transparency, schools have been instructed to display assessment scores on notice boards, with complaints to be reviewed by school-level monitoring committees.
Furthermore, a study support programme has been introduced for students in Classes 5 to 9 studying in government schools who have scored below 30 per cent in written examinations. The programme will be conducted from April 20 to April 27, 2026, following which special examinations will be held at the school level. The promotion list of students will be released after the completion of this process.