Govt revises SOP for conducting exams amid coronavirus pandemic

Sept. 11: The Union Health Ministry has issued a revised SOP for conducting examinations amid the coronavirus pandemic. As per the revised guideline on the conducting of examinations, symptomatic candidates who insist on taking an exam may not be allowed to do so. A clear policy on permitting or not permitting symptomatic candidates to appear for the examinations shall be delineated by the examination conducting authorities in advance, the SOP stated.

• Only asymptomatic students and staff will be allowed inside the examination halls with proper precautionary measures.
• Previously, the ministry said symptomatic candidates can take the exams under isolation. But now the decision to whether allow them or not has been left with the examination conducting authorities.
• According to the new SOP, the symptomatic candidates should be referred to the nearest health centre and given an opportunity to undertake the examination through other means.
• In general course, they will not be allowed inside the examination hall. The authorities, in this case, are supposed to arrange alternative date for the examination, when the candidate is declared physically fit.
• However, all examination centres will have an isolation room for symptomatic candidates until medical advice on whether they can take the exam or not arrives.

NEET 2020 is scheduled to be held on September 13, college and university final year examinations are also being held across the country in the month of September. The ministry had on September 2 issued guidelines as per which staff and examinees from containment zones shall not be permitted to be physically present at exam centres and there will be alternative arrangements for such students. Meanwhile, for pen and paper-based tests, the SOP details that the invigilator will sanitise his or her hands before handing out of question papers or answer sheets and the examinees will also sanitise their hands before receiving these items. Use of spit/saliva for counting and distributing sheets shall not be allowed.