Andhra Pradesh government has decided to cancel the SSC or class 10th examination in the state amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases. All the students who had registered to appear for the exam and had been issued hall tickets will be declared as having passed the SSC examination.

The government said that this is a one-time measure and the decision was taken due to the COVID-19 situation in the state which will make the conduct of the exam difficult. The government order (GO) said that the decision was taken after reviewing the pros and cons of conducting the SSC examination, reports thenewsminute.com.

The order said that the decision was taken in “order to protect students and to ensure that no child should fall prey to COVID-19. It also said that that government permits the Director of Government Examinations, Andhra Pradesh, to declare all the students as pass without rewarding any grade points as a one-time measure.

The exams were initially slated to be conducted in the months of March and April but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown. The exam was later scheduled to be conducted from July 10 to July 17 but due to the prevailing situation of COVID-19, the decision to cancel the exam was taken.

Over 6.3 lakh students had registered to appear for the examination, adds the report. The report also says that earlier Commissioner of School Education (CSE) had recommended cancelling the exam. Regarding admissions into higher education where class 10th marks were the criteria, the CSE had suggested entrance examinations so that high achievers may no miss out on any opportunities.