Govt plans to start online classes for school students: Kerala CM

The Kerala government is considering a proposal to start online classes for school students from June 1 in view of the ongoing lockdown, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday. He said the decision on starting the normal classes will be taken later and the government has taken certain decisions on various entrance examinations.

"This time there will not be any separate examination for lateral entry into engineeringcourses for those who finished polytechnic courses. Instead admissions will be made on the basis of marks by the Commissioner of Entrance Examinations," Vijayan said.

He also said that those who had already applied for the Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical (KEAM) will be given a chance in June to change the examination centre.

"Students studying in polytechnic colleges in the state will be able to attend exams at polytechnics near their homes. The last semester exams of Polytechnic colleges are scheduled to begin on the first week of June," Vijayan said.

The exams of five-year and three-year law courses will be conducted online in the second week of June, Vijayan said. Schools and other educational institutions in Kerala have remained closed since March 10 when six fresh cases of COVID- 19 were reported. On March 10, the total number of infected rose to 12 and the government decided to impose severe restrictions, including the closure of educational institutions and cinema houses in a bid to halt its further spread.