Seasonal flu looms in Karnataka, schools set up isolation exam halls

BENGALURU: With seasonal flu in the air and exam time on campuses, parents are worried their children might miss final exams for the current academic season.
Many schools said they would set up isolation rooms for children who are unwell and still want to write the exams. For students who cannot make it to school on health grounds, schools will award marks based on internal assessments and previous exams.

"We'll provide isolation rooms for classes 5 and 8, and unwell students can write exams from there.Teachers, too, are down with fever. Thankfully, they are recovering quickly," said D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Association of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka.
For other classes, most schools have decided to assess performance based on previous tests and internal assessments if a child is too unwell to attend exams.
"Exams for classes 9 and 11 are over. For other classes, most exams have a gap of at least three days as our school is also a Board exam centre. This will also give children time to recover," said Sharada Chandrashekhar, principal, Whitefield Global School.
"Apart from seasonal flu, there are cases of chicken pox as well. Our centre has two children from other schools who are suffering from chicken pox. The students are writing the exam from an isolation room," said the principal of a prominent CBSE school in east Bengaluru.
Carpooling also gaining popularity
The new expressway has made it possible for people from Mysuru to reach locations in Bengaluru much faster compared to earlier when they would have to end their inter-city travel at Majestic and then negotiate heavy city traffic to get to their respective locations.
For Mysuru residents working in Bengaluru, the new expressway offers an opportunity to move back to Mysuru city daily after work and thereby avoid paying higher rents and at the same time stay with their kin in Mysuru.
Carpooling is also becoming popular among professionals who have opted for the hybrid work module. In early-morning hours, it is possible to cover the distance between the two cities within 90 minutes in private vehicles. K Radhakrishna Holla, president, Karnataka State Travel Operators' Association, and BS Prashant, president of Mysuru Travels' Association, said with opportunities opening up after inauguration of the e-way, travel service providers must comply with all government-prescribed rules.
Holla said the expressway is already witnessing heavy traffic. Open to motorists, it will be formally inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on Sunday.