SSLC exams to begin today in Dharwad; over 29k students to appear

Pic: Additional commissioner of school education (North West zone) Ishwar Ullagaddi and deputy director (admn) Girish Padaki inspect the preparations for SSLC examination in a school at Dharwad on TuesdayDharwad: The SSLC examination, a crucial milestone in every student's academic journey, is set to commence on Wednesday, March 18, with all preparations completed by the school education department. The examinations will conclude on April 2.A total of 29,568 students have registered for the exams in Dharwad district this year, which will be conducted across 105 centres in the district. To ensure smooth conduct, the department has deployed 105 chief superintendents, 46 route officers, 105 question paper custodians, 105 vigilance officers, 105 mobile phone seizure officers, and 1,450 room invigilators along with additional staff.To maintain order and discipline, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed around all examination centres. Photocopy shops within a 200-metre radius of the centres will remain closed to prevent any leakage of question papers. Tight police security arrangements have also been made at key centres.All centres have been equipped with CCTV surveillance, and webcasting arrangements have been set up at the zilla panchayat hall for real-time monitoring.Focus on improving resultsDharwad, often referred to as an educational hub, has not recorded satisfactory SSLC results in recent years, with the district ranking beyond the top 20 in the state. This year, the department aims to bring the district into a single-digit rank through various initiatives.Three rounds of preparatory exams have already been conducted, followed by detailed performance analysis of students. Schools with less than 85% results have been placed under the supervision of district and taluk-level officials, with a target of achieving 100% results.Teachers across all high schools in the district have been trained based on model question papers, answer scripts, and blueprints released by the board. The district has also launched the ‘Mission 40 Plus' initiative, aiming for every student to score at least 40 marks and above.In the third preparatory exam, Dharwad secured the ninth position in the state. Officials expressed confidence that the district will achieve a single-digit rank in the final results as well.Deputy director of school education SS Keladimath and coordinating officer S M Hudedamani shared this information with TOI.Exam schedule (SSLC 2026)Exam time: 10am to 1.15pmMarch 18: First Language (including Kannada)March 23: ScienceMarch 25: Second Language (including English)March 28: MathematicsMarch 30: Third Language (including Hindi)April 2: Social ScienceKey Statistics - Dharwad districtTotal exam centres: 105Fresh candidates: 26,171Repeaters: 2,295External repeaters: 142Fresh external candidates: 960Total registered students: 29,568