In a bid to salvage the academic calendar disrupted by the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Kerala government has initiated steps to resume the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations for Class 10 students in Gulf countries, with approval from the Election Commission of India set to be sought.

State General Education Minister V Sivankutty recently chaired a high-level meeting to assess the feasibility of conducting the stalled examinations in the Gulf region, officials confirmed. The exams had been temporarily suspended amid escalating tensions in the region.

While speculation persists over a possible cancellation of the SSLC examinations and the adoption of an alternative evaluation method based on internal assessment averages, officials have not issued any formal confirmation so far.

According to a statement from the minister’s office, the government is keen to conduct and complete the examinations at the earliest to ease uncertainty among students. However, with the Model Code of Conduct currently in force, prior clearance from the Election Commission is mandatory before announcing revised schedules or issuing fresh guidelines.

The minister has directed the General Education Department to expedite all preparatory measures to ensure a smooth resumption of the examinations once approval is granted.

This year, a total of 4,17,497 students are slated to appear for the SSLC examinations across 3,047 centres in Kerala. Additionally, 633 candidates from Lakshadweep have registered for the exams, underscoring the scale of the exercise.