Karnataka postpones PUC II practical exams from April to June due to rising COVID-19 cases

The Karnataka government has deferred the practical exams of second pre-university classes (PUC II). The examinations were supposed to start from 28 April but now have been postponed due to the rising COVID-19 cases in the state. The new dates are not announced yet, however, practicals will now be held after the completion of theory papers which are starting from 24 May till 16 June. As per the official statement, the decision was taken after the state government received a large number of requests from parents, teachers, and students to postpone the exams. The syllabus has also been reduced by 30 percent for all the courses. Recently, the state government had announced summer vacations for the students of classes 1 to 8 starting from 1 May. Meanwhile, the government has declared a two-week lockdown starting from 27 April in Karnataka. It will start from 9 pm tomorrow and will continue for 14 days. Only essential services will be allowed between 6 am to 10 am. No shops will be allowed to remain open after 10 am. All public transport will remain suspended and only construction, manufacturing, and agriculture sectors will be allowed to operate during this period. The state recorded 34,804 new coronavirus cases on 25 April. A total of 143 deaths were reported yesterday alone. Currently, the state has 2,62,181 active cases while 14,426 people have lost their lives to the virus,  as per the data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.