Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, speaking to mediapersons after chairing a meeting on SSLC exam 2025 preparedness, at the Department of State Educational Research and Training, in Bengaluru on Monday.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

Ahead of the SSLC examinations, which will be held from March 21 to April 4, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) is yet to publish the list of unauthorised schools in Karnataka, adding to the worries of students in such schools.

In the previous year, around 5,000 students from private unauthorised schools faced issues with writing SSLC exams. The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) had withheld the draft admission tickets of such students.

This year, the Board had asked students from unauthorised schools to not register for SSLC exams and had asked Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) of the State to submit a list of approved and unauthorised schools for the year.

Speaking at a press conference here on Monday, Madhu Bangarappa, Minister for School Education and Literacy, said, “From our Department, we have updated everything. There are other departments in play like the Revenue Department for land conversion and Fire and Safety departments. We have to work with other departments before putting out the list. If I harshly decide something, then where would we be able to send all those students?”

There were 993 unauthorised schools in July 2024 according to an answer given by the Minister in the Assembly in July 2024.

He also did not clarify whether students will be allowed to wear hijabs inside examination halls. “I will discuss this with the Home Minister and then he will issue directions on it,” he said.

Confident of good results

Following the sharp decline in results during the academic year of 2023–24, when the pass percentage fell to73.4% from 83.89% in 2022-23, the DSEL had taken up the implementation of a 20-point programme across high schools in the State to improve the results. Mr. Bangarappa, who has been reviewing these programmes at the district level, said, “In some districts, the preparation is extraordinary (for SSLC exams) and in some, more work is needed. I am confident that there will be an improvement in results this time.”