Bengaluru: After months of speculation, the Department of Primary and Secondary Education on Tuesday announced that a common examination will be conducted for class 7 students.

Announcing this at a press conference here yesterday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar said the Government has decided to adopt a no-fail policy for class 7 exam for Government, aided and other private schools following the State syllabus.

The Quality Cell of Karnataka Secondary Examination  Board, which conducts SSLC exams, will prepare question papers that will be evaluated by Government and private school teachers at the District-level in order to maintain ‘neutrality,’ he said and added that the class 7 exam will be conducted in March this year.

Continuing, Suresh Kumar said that the common evaluation exam is part of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system prescribed in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

Pointing out that more than an exam, it is an evaluation of the child’s knowledge, the Minister said that for the March exam, Summative Assessment-2 will be held with half the syllabus and added that the CCE system will continue for classes 8 and 9.