Public Exams in Government High Schools in Kannada Medium

Public Exams in Government High Schools in Kannada Medium

Public examinations have been a significant part of India's education system since colonial times, with their roots traceable back to the Indian School Certificate Examination in 1857. In Karnataka state, public exams are conducted primarily by two boards: the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the State Board of Secondary Education (SBSE). While CBSE is known for its English medium curriculum, the focus here will be on the SBSE exams which largely follow the Kannada medium syllabus.

History of Public Examinations in India

The history of public examinations in India dates back to the British rule when Indians had to pass these examinations before entering college. Initially administered from Britain, this practice gradually expanded into the local regions, like the Madras Presidency where it was introduced in 1911. Over time, regional languages gained recognition within the examination structure, allowing students to choose between English or vernacular languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, and Kannada. These examinations were designed to shape the socio-cultural identity of each region.

Kannada Medium Syllabus in Karnataka

In Karnataka, public examinations under the state board typically involve studying through Classes I–XII and culminate in the SSLC (Secondary School Leaving Certificate) exam after Class X. From Class VI onwards, students are eligible to appear for qualifying exams called 'A' level exams every year until they complete their tenth standard. After passing the SSLC, students can opt for higher secondary courses offered either under the general stream or vocational streams.

For those choosing the general stream, there are three groups available—Group 1 (Humanities), Group II (Science), and Group III (Commerce). Within these groups, subjects include sociology, psychology, political science, economics, history, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, business studies, accountancy, commercial art, home science, music, drawing, painting, handicraft, and computer applications. Each subject has a separate question paper and the highest score from any one subject counts towards the final aggregate marks.

Past Papers and Sample Questions

To prepare for public exams, candidates can refer to past question papers which usually contain questions similar to what might come up during actual exams. For example, question banks are made available online by various organizations, including the Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE), University Grants Commission (UGC), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and other universities. These resources help students understand the format and difficulty levels of previous years' exams.

Sample questions from past papers could serve as good preparatory material for aspiring test-takers. Here's an illustrative sample math problem from DPUE, taken from the Mathematics paper set A for the Pre-University Course (PUC) first semester examination in 2020-21:

Question: Two circular arcs share a common chord. If both arcs intersect the chord at points A and B, prove that ∠AB = ∠BA.