Manual of Higher Secondary Examinations PDF - Kerala

GOVERNMENT OF KERALA MANUAL OF HIGHER SECONDARY EXAMINATIONS DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATION (HIGHER SECONDARY) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 2022  PREFACE Higher secondary examinations are often regarded as one of the most im...

GOVERNMENT OF KERALA MANUAL OF HIGHER SECONDARY EXAMINATIONS DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATION (HIGHER SECONDARY) THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 2022  PREFACE Higher secondary examinations are often regarded as one of the most important stepping stones in the educational progression of students all over India. The Higher Secondary Examination Board had been able to conduct examinations efficiently and effectively for more than 20 years. Along with the regular plus two examinations and plus one examinations that are being attended by more than 9 lakh students. We are conducting SAY examinations, improvement examinations, equivalency examinations etc. The process of question paper preparation, invigilation, valuation, tabulation, result announcements and revaluation are spread throughout the year. Millions of human hours are being invested in ensuring that the examination process goes in a fair and transparent manner and as per the well-established procedure. The previous manual was published in 2005. With the advent of new systems, new directions and the systemic changes, it became essential that a new and improved examination manual has to be brought out which would be beneficial to all the stakeholders. Though the Board is conducting examinations for lakhs of candidates all throughout the year, the examination wing is being managed with a miniscule human power. The efforts put forward by the Joint Director (Examinations) Dr.S.S. Vivekanandan, Deputy Directors, System Manager and all the staff of the examination wing deserves appreciation for coming out with this manual as well as the conduct of this laborious task. The field support by the RDDs, District Coordinators, Chief Superintendents, Deputy Chief Superintendents, Invigilators, Camp Coordinators and all associated staff is commendable. Also the wonderful effort put forward by the manual committee who had worked relentlessly even in times of covid through all possible means of communication is highly appreciable. Their daily meetings, discussions and updations have resulted in bringing out this manual which will ensure systemic improvement of all the activities associated with examinations. We express our sincere thanks to former Hon. Minister of General Education Prof. C. Raveendranath and Secretary, General Education Shri. A. Shajahan IAS who provided support in the initial phase and Hon. Minister of General Education Shri V. Sivankutty and the Principal Secretary, General Education Sri. APM Mohammad Hanish IAS for enabling us to present this new examination manual. Sincerely, JEEVAN BABU K. IAS Director of General Education & Chairman, Board of Higher Secondary Examinations, Kerala 1 2  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Board of Higher Secondary Examinations, Government of Kerala, is one of the few state higher secondary boards to have an examination manual and so the manual has been in great demand among the other state boards of the country. But many of the provisions in the present manual became redundant, owing to the great changes that took place in the higher secondary examination process, since its inception in 1992. To keep the manual abreast with the present day examination process, the Government constituted a committee to revise the existing Manual, vide Order, G.O (Rt.)No.3155/2018/G.Edn, Dated, Thiruvananthapuram 17/08/2018. The first meeting of the committee, presided over by Sri. Jeevan Babu.K, IAS, Director, General Education and Chairman of the committee was convened at SCERT, Thiruvananthapuram on 29-01-2020. Not long after the committee had to shift over to online meetings to abide by the COVID 19 protocol. The joint effort put in by the members of the committee, guided and supported by the Chairman, made the present manual a reality. The Board acknowledges the effort put in by the following members. 1. Sri.B.K.Vijayan (Former Joint Director, Higher Secondary Education and Principal(Rtd.), Govt. Arts College, Kozhikode) 2. Sri.Jayakumar. N (Former Assistant Director, Higher Secondary Education and Deputy Registrar(Rtd.), Mahathma Gandhi University, Kottayam.) 3. Sri. Sreejan.S V (Principal, Perambra Higher Secondary School, Kozhikode.) 4. Sri.Muraleedharan P O (Principal, Govt. Welfare HSS, Cherukunnu, Kannur) 5. Dr. J Prasad, (Director, SCERT, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram) 6. Sri.Lal. K I(Secretary, Pareeksha Bhavan, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram) 7. Smt. Narayani E S (RDD, Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram) 8. Dr. P P Prakasan (Joint Director, Academic, Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram) 9. Smt. K B Anithakumari (Senior Administrative Officer, Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram) 10. Smt. Mini.S (Deputy Director, Exam, Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram 11. Smt.Shaila Ram C A (Deputy Director, Exam, Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram) 12. Sri.Sabu Valerian (Deputy Director, Academic, Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram) 13. Smt. Sheeba.S (Deputy Director, Exam, Vocational Higher Secondary Education, Thiruvananthapuram) The suggestions and helpful advice rendered by members of the higher secondary teaching community and the service rendered by the staff of the higher secondary wing is also appreciated. Sincerely, Dr. S S Vivekanandan Joint Director (Higher Secondary Education) & Secretary, Board of Higher Secondary Examinations, Kerala. 3 4  Contents Chapter 1. Preliminary Page 1. Preamble 11 2. Definitions 11 3. Board of higher secondary examinations 13 4. Higher secondary examination branch 14 a. Officials of the examination branch 14 b. Duties of the examination branch 14 c. Computer room 16 d. Strong room 16 e. Record room 16 f. Security of the examination branch 17 5. Streams of examinations 17 a. Higher secondary stream 17 b. Technical stream 18 c. Art stream 19 d. Vocational stream 19 e. Equivalency stream 21 6. Higher secondary examinations 21 a. Grading system 21 b. Types of evaluation 21 i. Continuous Evaluation(CE) 21 ii. Practical Evaluation (PE) 21 iii. Terminal Evaluation (TE) 22 c. Types of candidates 22 d. Types of Examinations 23 i. First year higher secondary examination 23 ii. First year higher secondary improvement/supplementary Examination 24 iii. Second year higher secondary examination 25 iv. Second year higher secondary SAY/improvement examination. 26 v. First year higher secondary equivalency examination 27 vi. First year higher secondary improvement/supplementary equivalency examination 28 vii. Second year higher secondary equivalency examination 28 Chapter 2.Pre-Examination activities 1. Setting of question papers 30 a. Pool of question paper setters 30 b. Panel of question paper setters 30 c. Scrutiny of question papers 30 d. Selection and printing of question papers 31 e. Instructions to question paper setters 31 5  2. Examination centres 32 3. Publication of notification 32 4. Registration for the public examinations. 32 a. Preparation of nominal roll 33 b. Question paper requirement 33 c. Admission ticket 33 d. Condoning of shortage of attendance. 33 e. Cancellation of registration 34 5. Distribution of examination materials 35 6. Officials for examination 35 a. Chief superintendent 35 i. Appointment of chief superintendents 35 ii. Duties of chief superintendents. 36 iii. Duties of Principals 36 b. Deputy chief superintendents 37 i. Appointment of deputy chief superintendents 37 ii. Appointment of deputy chief superintendents to examination centres in gulf countries and Lakshadweep. 37 iii. Duties of deputy chief superintendents 37 c. Invigilators 38 i. Appointment of invigilators 38 ii. Duties of invigilators 38 d. Clerk 39 e. Office assistant 39 f. Night watchman 39 g. State chairman for practical evaluation 39 i. Appointment of the state chairman 39 ii. Duties of the state chairman 39 h. District chief examiner for practical evaluation 40 i. Appointment of district chief examiners 40 ii. Duties of district chief examiners 40 i. External examiners for practical evaluation 40 i. Appointment of external examiners 40 ii. Duties of external examiners 41 j. Internal examiner for practical evaluation 41 k. Laboratory assistant 41 Chapter 3. Conduct of examinations 1. Continuous evaluation ` 42 a. Uploading of CE scores 42 2. Practical evaluation 42 a. Meeting of chairman and district chief examiners 43 b. Meeting of external examiners 43 c. Conduct of practical evaluation 43 d. Preparation of mark list and uploading of scores 44 3. Terminal evaluation 44 6  a. Preliminary arrangements 44 b. Seating arrangements. 45 c. Registers to be maintained 45 d. Safe custody of question papers 45 e. Opening of question papers 46 f. Terminal evaluation activities 46 g. Packing and dispatching of answer scripts 48 h. Instructions to candidates. 49 Chapter 4. Valuation and Tabulation 1. Centralised Valuation camps 50 a. Objectives of CV camps 50 b. Types of CV camps 50 c. Identification of CV camps 50 2. Officials for conducting CV camps 50 a. Camp coordinator 51 i. Duties of camp coordinator 51 b. Camp Officer 51 i. Duties of camp officer 51 c. Deputy camp officer 52 i. Duties of deputy camp officer 52 d. Camp Assistant 52 e. Tabulation officer 53 i. Duties of tabulation officer 53 f. Script coding officer 53 i. Duties of script coding officer 54 g. Casual worker 54 h. Night watchman 54 3. Examiners for the valuation of answer scripts 54 a. Appointment of the chief and assistant examiners 55 b. Duties of chief examiners 55 c. Duties of assistant examiners 56 4. Scheme finalization 57 a. Familiarizing the examiners with the scheme 57 5. Preparation of CV camps 57 a. Allotment of answer scripts to camps 58 6. Attendance 58 7. Procedures for valuation camps 58 a. Single valuation camps 58 b. Double valuation camps 59 c. Revaluation camps 61 d. General instructions for the valuation of answer scripts 62 e. General instructions for mark list preparation 63 8. Tabulation of scores 64 a. Procedure for tabulation of scores 64 9. Valuation of scripts of differently abled candidates 65 7 10. Valuation of equivalency examinations 65 11. Disposal of valued answer scripts 65 Chapter 5. Grace marks and concessions 66 Chapter 6. Publication of results 67 1. Processing of result 67 2. Meeting of board of higher secondary examinations 67 3. Publication of result 67 4. Printing and distribution of certificates 67 a. Migration certificate 67 b. Certificate in DigiLocker 68 c. Duplicate certificate 68 d. Correction of personal data in the certificate 69 e. Other certificates 69 f. Verification of genuineness of certificates 69 g. Confidential reporting of scores 69 5. Revaluation/Scrutiny/Photocopy 70 Chapter 7. Violation and punishment 71 1. Actions deemed as malpractice 71 a. Disciplinary actions/punishments for malpractices 71 b. Procedure for handling suspected cases of malpractice 72 reported from the examination centres c. Procedure for handling malpractices reported from 73 valuation camps 2. Negligence/dereliction of examination duty 74 a. Punishment/penalties for the negligence/dereliction of 75 examination duty b. Disciplinary authority 75 c. Procedure for imposing major penalties 76 d. Procedure for imposing minor penalties 78 Chapter 8. Monitoring squads 79 1. P E monitoring squad 79 a. Duties of PE monitoring squad 79 2. T E Monitoring squad 79 a. Duties of TE monitoring squad 80 3. C V Camp monitoring squad 80 a. Duties of CV camp monitoring squad 80 Chapter 9. Accounts 82 1. General 82 2. Secret service expenses 82 3. Other charges expenditure 82 a. Allotment to examination centres 83 8  b. Allotments to camps 84 c. Question paper distribution to examination centres 85 in Kerala and Mahe d. Question paper distribution to Gulf region 85 e. Monitoring squads 85 f. Expenses for publication of results 85 g. Printing expenditure 85 h. TA/DA to staff on examination duty 85 i. Miscellaneous 85 4. Expenditure of equivalency examination. 85 Repeal and savings 86 Annexure 1. Nine-point grades. 87 2. Subjects with practical evaluation. 88 3. Application for appointment as question paper setter. 89 4. Application for examination registration. 90 5. Application for condoning shortage of attendance. 92 6. Application for cancellation of examination. 93 7. Application for appointment as deputy chief superintendents 94 in Gulf centres. 8. Application for appointment as deputy chief superintendents 96 in Lakshadweep centres 9. Application for appointment as external practical examiner 98 in Lakshadweep centres. 10. Work done memorandum 100 11. Ready reckoner for the use of chief& deputy chief superintendents. 101 12. Register for opening, closing and sealing of safe containing 102 question papers. 13. Question paper account. 103 14. Stock register of main answer books, additional sheets and 104 bar-coded answer books. 15. Invigilation duty register. 105 16. Watchmen duty register. 106 17. Register for despatch of answer script bundles. 107 18. Malpractice register. 108 19. CV cover label. 109 20. Packing slip. 110 21. Statement showing details of papers re valued by chief examiner. 111 (CV form 2) 22. Details of distribution of answer scripts. (CV form 1) 112 23. Register for opening, closing and sealing of strong room 113 24. Stock register of answer scripts. 114 25. Register of answer scripts from other camps. 115 26. Issue register of answer scripts to chief examiners. 116 27. Issue register of answer scripts to assistant examiners. 117 9 28. Mark list 118 29. Application for migration certificate. 119 30. Application for duplicate certificate. 120 31. Application for corrections in higher secondary certificate. 122 32. Application for other certificates. 124 33. Application for confidential reporting of scores. 125 34. Application for re valuation of answer scripts. 126 35. Application for scrutiny of valued answer scripts. 127 36. Application for photocopy of answer scripts. 128 37. Proforma for handling suspected cases of malpractice from 129 examination centres 38. Proforma for handling suspected cases of malpractice by monitoring squads.130 39. Proforma for handling suspected cases of malpractice in CV camps 131 40. Requisition for TA/DA 132 10  Chapter 1 Preliminary 1. Preamble The precepts in this codification shall be called The Higher Secondary Examination Rules. The manifold activities relating to the conduct of higher secondary examinations, underwent drastic changes following the inception of grading system, introduction of more public examinations for the various streams and digitisation of the whole examination process, making the existing examination manual infructuous. This revised manual discusses threadbare all activities of the examination branch of the higher secondary wing of the Directorate of General Education, followed at present. It also details the roles and duties of the different functionaries involved in the conduct of examinations. These instructions, it is hoped, will help in checking errors and mistakes, thereby making the examination process smooth and helping in the timely publication of various results. This revised manual shall replace the existing one. In all matters relating to higher secondary examinations, these directives should be pursued and strictly adhered to. These rules will come into force from the date notified by the Government. These rules are liable to be revised by the Government from time to time mutatis mutandis. 2. Definitions In these rules, unless otherwise the context requires 1. Answer Script means a manuscript written by a candidate, on paper sheets specially prepared and issued for the purpose, meant as answers corresponding to the questions in the question paper served to the candidate at a place and on a day as designated by the Secretary. 2. Assistant Examiner means higher secondary school teacher in a subject appointed by the Secretary for the valuation of answer scripts of that subject. 3. Bar Coded Answer Sheet means main answer book with bar codes which is used for subjects with double valuation. 4. Board means Board of Higher Secondary Examinations, Kerala. 5. CV Cover means the labelled paper cover supplied for packing answer scripts in a centre. 6. Camp Assistant means a higher secondary school staff appointed by the Secretary for assisting the camp coordinator and the camp officer in a CV camp. 7. Camp Co-ordinator means the Principal or a senior higher secondary school teacher, appointed by the Secretary for conducting the CV camp. 8. Camp Officer means a higher secondary school teacher, appointed by the Secretary for assisting the coordinator in the conduct of the CV camp. 9. Candidate means a student registered for any of the higher secondary examinations. 10. CE means Continuous Evaluation 11 11. Centre means higher secondary examination centre 12. Certificate means higher secondary examination certificate issued to students after completion of the course. 13. Chairman means Chairman of the Board of Higher Secondary Examinations, Kerala. 14. Chief Examiner means senior higher secondary school teacher in a subject appointed by the Secretary for supervising the assistant examiners in that subject in a CV camp. 15. Chief Superintendent means Principal or a senior higher secondary school teacher appointed by the Secretary for conducting all higher secondary examinations in a centre. 16. CV Camp means centralized valuation camp conducted for the valuation and re- valuation of answer scripts 17. Code number means a false number assigned to an answer script. 18. Department means Department of General Education. 19. Deputy Camp Officer means a Higher Secondary School Teacher/Higher Secondary School Teacher(Jr.), appointed by the Secretary to work under the administrative control of the Camp Co-ordinator. 20. Deputy Chief Superintendent means senior higher secondary school teacher appointed by the Secretary to represent him/her at an examination centre. 21. DigiLocker means a platform provided by Govt. of India for storing certificates in a digitalized form. 22. Director means Director of General Education. 23. Directorate means Directorate of General Education - Higher Secondary wing. 24. District Chief Examiner means a higher secondary school teacher in a subject appointed by the Secretary for supervising the conduct of practical examination in a district. 25. Double-entry system means the online entry of the same data twice by two different officers. 26. Double valuation means the evaluation of answer scripts by two different examiners. 27. DV camp means a camp constituted for double valuation 28. Examination means Higher Secondary Examination. 29. Expert means a subject expert appointed for the scrutiny of question papers 30. External Examiner means a higher secondary school teacher in a subject appointed by the Secretary for conducting the practical evaluation in a centre. 31. Facing Sheet means the front page of the main answer book containing the register number of the candidate and the details of the examination. 32. Fee means the fees prescribed from time to time by the competent authority relating to the examination. 33. Government means Government of Kerala. 34. Grace Marks means the marks awarded to candidates for achievements in various fields. 35. Grade means the position of scores of a subject in the nine-point grading system. 36. HSST/HSST(Jr) means higher secondary school teacher of Govt./Aided schools. 37. Invigilator means a teacher appointed by the Secretary for invigilation duty in a centre. 38. Joint Director means Joint Director, Examination. 39. KSLMA means Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority 12 40. Malpractice means any violation of the rules/procedures in force for the conduct of the examination. 41. Monitoring squad means the squad appointed by the Secretary to monitor the procedures of examination. 42. PE means Practical Evaluation for the higher secondary course. 43. PEN means Permanent Employee Number. 44. Principal means Principal of a higher secondary school 45. Question Paper means question paper for the higher secondary examination 46. Rare Subject means a subject taught in very few higher secondary schools in the state. 47. Register Number means the number allotted to a candidate registered for higher secondary examination by the Secretary. 48. Result means higher secondary examination result 49. RDD means Regional Deputy Director of General Education (Higher secondary) 50. Rules mean higher secondary examination rules. 51. Revaluation means an evaluation of valued answer script by another examiner. 52. RV camp means a camp constituted for revaluation 53. SAY means Save A Year 54. Scheme of Evaluation means the detailed key for awarding scores for each question in a question paper 55. Scheme Finalization means the finalization of the scheme of valuation prepared by the setter for each subject by a set of teachers in the subject concerned. 56. School means higher secondary school. 57. SCOLE Kerala means State Council for Open and Lifelong Education, Kerala. 58. Score means the numerical value assigned in the grading system. 59. Score Entry means entering scores online after valuation using the software provided by the Secretary. 60. Mark list means the list in which the scores are entered by an examiner after valuation. 61. Score sheet means the statement of scores issued to higher secondary students after the first year examination 62. Script coding means affixing code numbers on answer scripts and making online entry of the same. 63. Script coding officer means a higher secondary school teacher assigned with the duty of script coding 64. Scrutiny means re-calculation and re-checking of scores awarded to an answer script. 65. Secretary means Secretary of the Board of Higher Secondary Examinations, Kerala. 66. Single Valuation means the valuation of answer scripts by a single assistant examiner. 67. SV camp means a camp constituted for single valuation 68. Tabulation means the preparation of the database of the scores after valuation. 69. Tabulation Officer means a higher secondary school teacher appointed for tabulating the scores in CV camp. 70. TE means Terminal Evaluation. 71. Teacher means higher secondary school teacher. 72. Valuation means the evaluation of answer scripts of higher secondary examinations. 13 3. Board of Higher Secondary Examinations There shall be a Board of Higher Secondary Examinations to deal with all matters relating to the higher secondary examinations, including the finalisation of results. The Board shall consist of the following members. 1. Director of General Education, Kerala. : Chairman 2. Joint Director (Examination), Higher Secondary. : Secretary 3. Joint Director (Academic), Higher Secondary. : Member 4. Secretary to the commissioner for Govt. Examinations. : Member 5. Director, SCERT, Kerala : Member 6. Secretary, Board of Vocational Higher Secondary Examinations : Member 7. Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, Kerala or nominee : Member 8. Director of Collegiate Education, or nominee. : Member 9. Director of Technical Education, or nominee. : Member 10. Registrar, Kerala University, or nominee. : Member 11. Director of IHRD, or nominee. : Member 12. Principal of a higher secondary school to be nominated by the Director. : Member 13. A senior HSST to be nominated by the Director. : Member (Director, KSLMA shall also attend the Board meeting while finalizing the Higher Secondary Equivalency Examinations) 4. Higher Secondary Examination Branch The Higher secondary examination branch of the Directorate of General Education shall function under the general control and supervision of the Director. The Director shall be the Chairman of the Board of Higher Secondary Examinations and shall be responsible for the conduct of the examinations. a. Officials of the Examination Branch There shall be a Joint Director (Examination) who shall be the Secretary of the Board of Higher Secondary Examinations. The officer shall be under the control and supervision of the Director. The officer shall conduct the examinations and incur all expenses in connection with the same under the supervision and control of the Chairman. The officer shall perform such other duties as stipulated in these rules. The Joint Director (Exam) shall be assisted by other officers including Deputy Directors and Assistant Directors. They shall render all assistance for the conduct of examination and exercise such powers and duties delegated to them from time to time. Other supporting staff shall include superintendents and clerks who shall function as per the orders of the Joint Director. There shall also be a Systems Manager for managing the computer systems of the examination branch. This officer shall be under the direct control of the Joint Director (Exam) and function in cooperation with the Deputy Director in charge of the computer lab. 14 b. Duties of Examination Branch 1. Publication of notification. 2. Identifying examination centres. 3. Registration of candidates. 4. Condoning shortage of attendance. 5. Issuing admission tickets. 6. Awarding concessions to candidates. 7. Setting of question papers. 8. Printing of question papers. 9. Distribution of question papers. 10. Distribution of answer scripts. 11. Distribution of materials to examination centres and CV camps. 12. Receipt of scores. a. Continuous Evaluation. b. Practical Evaluation. c. Terminal Evaluation. d. Grace marks. 13. Appointing of Chairman/ District Chief and External Examiners. 14. Conducting meeting of District chief examiners. 15. Appointing officials for examination duty. 16. Conducting of meetings of chief superintendents. 17. Appointing monitoring squads for various inspections. 18. Conducting district level meetings of external examiners. 19. Finalizing scheme for valuation. 20. Identifying CV camps. 21. Appointing Camp officials. 22. Conducting of meetings of camp officials. 23. Allocation of answer scripts to CV camps. 24. Processing of result. 25. Finalizing the result by the Board. 26. Awarding of grace marks. 27. Generating the final result. 28. Publishing the result. 29. Printing of certificates. 30. Distributing the certificates. 31. Allotment of advances for the following and their settlement a. to examination centres. b. to CV camps. c. to distribution teams. d. to monitoring squads. e. for other activities related to examination. 32. Settlement of bills related to a. printing of question papers. b. printing of answer books. c. printing of examination materials. d. printing of certificates. 15 33. Initiating disciplinary actions against erring students and teachers. 34. Settling of advances drawn. 35. Issuing of duplicate certificates, verification of genuineness, etc. 36. Issuing other certificates on demand. 37. Attending to all other duties connected with the examination. c. Computer room There shall be a computer room in the higher secondary examination branch for safekeeping of computers and servers. This room shall be under the control of a Deputy Director and entry to the room shall be restricted. The Deputy Director in charge of the computer room and the Systems Manager shall work in liaison with each other. The Systems Manager shall be appointed on deputation basis from among the HSST/HSST(Jr) of government schools holding a B.Tech (computer science) / MSc. (Computer science) / MCA and having sufficient experience in the management of networked computer systems. The officer shall 1. make arrangements for repairing any snags in the system. 2. work in liaison with the agency entrusted with the development and upkeep of the various examination software’s. 3. be the custodian of all data stored in the computers and also be responsible for the secrecy and security of data. 4. take the backup of the data and store the same as permanent records. 5. ensure that the computer systems are serviced regularly and maintained in good condition 6. generate various reports on demand by the Secretary 7. make available the various data connected with the examinations 8. to propose any additional requirement needed either in the form hardware or software. d. Strong room There shall be a strong room for the safekeeping of all confidential documents related to the higher secondary examinations. The Secretary shall be the custodian of the keys of this room and the room shall be opened only by the persons authorized for the same by the Secretary. The purpose and time of opening and closing the room along with the signature of the authorized person shall be recorded each time in the register maintained for the purpose. The following items are to be kept safely in the strong room. 1. Manuscripts of question papers. 2. Question papers. 3. All other confidential records relating to the conduct of the examination. There shall be another room for the safekeeping of pre-printed higher secondary examination certificates including the damaged and cancelled ones. e. Record room There shall be a record room. The Assistant Director of the section concerned shall be the officer in charge of the room. The following items shall be kept in the record room. 1. Tabulation registers to be arranged year wise and district wise. 16  2. All the data pertaining to the higher secondary examination including results with proper labels. 3. Registers of nominal rolls, which are kept year wise and district wise. 4. Properly arranged chalan receipts received from the schools. 5. Counterfoils of migration certificates and mark lists (prior to March 2001 cases). 6. Result books arranged year wise. 7. Higher secondary examination notifications arranged year wise. 8. Copies of government orders and office orders arranged in chronological order. It shall be the duty of the officer in charge of the record room to issue the documents for use of the various examination sections, under proper receipt. The officer shall ensure that the records taken for reference are returned within one week which can be extended beyond that if necessary, by the Secretary. f. Security of examination branch The examination branch shall have only one entrance and the same shall be used as the exit. The entry of the public into the examination branch shall be restricted by pass issued by the reception officer. Suitable police protection shall be arranged for the examination branch in consultation with the DGP/Commissioner of police. The entry to the examination wing shall be restricted to officials posted for examination duty from the commencement of the examination to the publication of the result. 5. Streams of examination The Board conducts examinations for the following streams. a. Higher secondary. b. Technical higher secondary. c. Art higher secondary. d. Vocational higher secondary. e. Higher secondary equivalency. a. Higher secondary stream The higher secondary stream is meant for students studying in higher secondary schools and for SCOLE Kerala candidates. The pattern for the higher secondary examination shall be as follows Part I : English Part II : Twelve languages are offered under part-II. Candidates can opt for any one which is allotted to the school. They are Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit, Arabic, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada, French, Latin, Syriac, German and Russian. Part III: Three combinations- science, humanities and commerce - are offered under part III. Each candidate shall opt for any one of the groups under these combinations. The three combinations and their groups are shown below. i. Science combination 1. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. 17  2. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science. 3. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Home Science. 4. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Electronics. 5. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Geology. 6. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics. 7. Physics, Chemistry, Home Science and Biology. 8. Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Geology. 9. Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Psychology. ii. Humanities combination 1. History, Economics, Political Science and Geography. 2. History, Economics, Political Science and Sociology. 3. History, Economics, Political Science and Geology. 4. History, Economics, Political Science and Music. 5. History, Economics, Political Science and Gandhian Studies. 6. History, Economics, Political Science and Philosophy. 7. History, Economics, Political Science and Social Work. 8. History, Economics, Political Science and Psychology. 9. History, Economics, Political Science and Anthropology. 10. History, Economics, Political Science and Statistics. 11. History, Economics, Political Science and Malayalam. 12. History, Economics, Geography and Malayalam. 13. History, Economics, Geography and Hindi. 14. History, Economics, Geography and Arabic. 15. History, Economics, Geography and Urdu. 16. History, Economics, Geography and Kannada. 17. History, Economics, Geography and Tamil. 18. History, Economics, Sanskrit Sahitya and Sanskrit Sastra. 19. History, Economics, Gandhian Studies and Malayalam. 20. History, Economics, Sociology and Hindi. 21. History, Economics, Sociology and Arabic. 22. History, Economics, Sociology, Malayalam. 23. History, Philosophy, Sanskrit Sahitya and Sanskrit Sastra. 24. Islamic History and Culture, Economics, Political Science and Geography. 25. Islamic History and Culture, Economics, Political Science and Sociology. 26. Economics, Statistics, Anthropology and Social Work. 27. Economics, Gandhian Studies, Communicative English and Computer Application. 28. Journalism, English Literature, Communicative English and Psychology. 29. Sociology, Social Work, Psychology and Gandhian Studies. 30. Sociology, Social Work, Psychology and Statistics. 31. Sociology, Journalism, Communicative English and Computer Application. 32. Social work, Journalism, Communicative English and Computer Application. iii. Commerce combination 1. Business Studies, Accountancy, Economics and Computer Application. 2. Business Studies, Accountancy, Economics and Mathematics. 18  3. Business Studies, Accountancy, Economics and Statistics. 4. Business Studies, Accountancy, Economics and Political science. b. Technical stream The Technical Stream is for the students studying in the Technical higher secondary schools. The technical stream shall have the following pattern. Part I : English Part II : Computer Science and Information Technology Part III: Two combinations are offered under part III. They are: i.Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology ii.Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Electronics system. c. Art stream Part I : English Part II : Malayalam Part III: Sanskrit, Aesthetics, Literature concerned and any one of the following main subjects and its corresponding subsidiary subject. Main Subsidiary 1. Kathakalivesham vadakkan Chutty-theppu 2. Kathakalivesham thekkan Chutty-theppu 3. Kathakali music Karnatic music 4. Kathakali chenda Edakka 5. Kathakali maddalam Panchavadya maddalam 6. Kathakali chutty Chutty - costume making 7. Koodiyattam - male Chakyar koothu 8. Koodiyattam - female Nangyar koothu 9. Mizhavu Paadakam 10. Thullal - male Karnatic music 11. Mridangam Karnatic music 12. Thimila Panchavadya maddalam 13. Karnatic music Violin 14. Mohiniyattam Bharathanatyam/ Kuchipudi d. Vocational stream The Vocational stream is for the students studying in the Vocational Higher Secondary schools. The vocational stream shall have the following pattern. Part I : English Part II : Entrepreneurship Development. (ED) Part III: Part III has four groups viz. Group A, B, C and D. Each candidate shall select a combination from any of the four groups. The combinations offered are as follows. 19 i. Group A 1. Agriculture Machinery Operator, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (AMO) 2. Assistant offset printing operator, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (AOPO) 3. Auto Service Technician, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics(AST) 4. Distribution Lineman, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics(DL) 5. Domestic Biometric Data Entry Operator, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (DBDO) 6. Draughtsman, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics(DTN) 7. Electrician Domestic Solutions, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics(EDS) 8. Fabric Checker, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (FCC) 9. Field Technician Air Conditioner, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (FTAC) 10. Field Technician Computing & Peripherals, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (FTCP) 11. Graphic Designer, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (GCD) 12. Inline Checker, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (ILC) 13. Junior Software Developer, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (JSD) 14. Machine operator Assistant-Plastics Processing, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics(MOPP) 15. Optical Fibre Technician, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (OFT) 16. Plumber General II, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (PG) 17. Solar & LED Technician (Electronics) English, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. (SLT) ii. Group B 1. Assistant Fashion Designer, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (AFD) 2. Assistant Physiotherapist, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (APT) 3. Baby Caregiver, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (BCG) 4. Beauty Therapist, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (BT) 5. Dairy Processing Equipment Operator, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (DPEO) 6. Dental Assistant, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (DLA) 7. Dairy Farmer Entrepreneur, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (DFE) 8. Diet Assistant, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (DTA) 9. Fish and Seafood Processing Technician, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (FSPT) 10. Fishing Boat Mechanic, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (FBM) 11. Fitness Trainer, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (FNT) 12. Floriculturist Open Cultivation , Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (FOC) 13. Floriculturist Protected Cultivation, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (FPC) 14. Frontline health worker, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (FHW) 15. Gardener, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (GNR) 16. General Duty Assistant, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (GDA) 17. Medical Equipment Technician, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (MET) 18. Micro Irrigation Technician, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (MIT) 19. Organic Grower, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (ORG) 20. Ornamental Fish Technician, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (ORFT) 21. Shrimp Farmer, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (SHF) 22. Small Poultry Farmer, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (SPF) 23. Speech & Audio Therapy Assistant, Physics, Chemistry, Biology. (SATA) 20 iii. Group C 1. Tour Guide, History, Geography, Economics(TG) iv. Group D 1. Business Correspondent and Business facilitator, Accountancy, Business Studies, Management. (BCBF) 2. Computer Application Accounting and Publishing, Accountancy, Business Studies, Management. (CAAP) 3. Craft Baker, Accountancy, Business Studies, Management. (CRB) 4. Office Operations Executive, Accountancy, Business Studies, Management. (OFE) 5. Sales Associate, Accountancy, Business Studies, Management. (SA) e. Equivalency stream The students registered under the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority shall take the equivalency stream. The pattern shall be as follows. Part I : English Part II : Malayalam/ Hindi/ Kannada Part III: Two combinations are offered under part III. They are Humanities combination i. History, Sociology, Political Science and Economics. ii. History, Gandhian Studies, Political Science and Economics. (There shall be practical evaluation for Gandhian Studies) Commerce Combination i. Accountancy with AFS,Business studies, Political science and Economics. 6. Higher secondary examinations. a. Grading system The results of the higher secondary examinations are processed as per the nine-point grading system shown in annexure 1. To become eligible for higher studies, a candidate shall obtain D+ grade or above in all subjects. To obtain D+ grade in a subject, a minimum of 30% of the aggregate score of CE, PE and TE shall be obtained, with a separate minimum score of 30% of the total of first and second year terminal evaluation. D+ grade in Biology shall be determined by taking the scores of Botany and Zoology together. For securing D+ grade in Music, a separate minimum of 30% score of terminal evaluation as well as practical evaluation shall be attained. A combined score sheet/certificate showing the scores obtained by a candidate at both the first and second year examinations shall be issued to all candidates who registered for the second year higher secondary examination. b. Types of evaluation i. Continuous Evaluation (CE) a. Continuous evaluation shall be based on the learning activities undertaken by the candidate during the course of study. 21  b. Continuous evaluation for all subject is mandatory to appear for the examinations c. The continuous evaluation scores obtained by a candidate for the first/second year shall be carried forward for all subsequent appearances d. For Arts Stream students, there shall be continuous evaluation for part I and II subjects only. ii. Practical Evaluation (PE) a. Practical evaluation shall be based on the scheme and syllabus prescribed for the course and it shall be conducted at the end of the second year. b. All candidates appearing for the second year higher secondary examination for the first time shall attend the practical evaluation of all subjects for which there are practical evaluations as per curriculum.(Annexure -2) c. A candidate who attended the TE of a subject, but was absent for the PE, is eligible to attend the PE alone at the subsequent SAY/improvement examination, provided he/she secures a separate minimum score for the TE attended by him/her. Such candidates are eligible to appear for both TE and PE at the subsequent SAY/improvement examination if the candidate so desires. d. A candidate shall attend the practical evaluation of a subject only once. The scores obtained by the candidate at the practical evaluation shall be carried forward for all subsequent appearances. There shall be no provision for improvement of scores of practical evaluations. iii. Terminal Evaluation (TE) a. Terminal evaluation shall be a written examination. b. Terminal evaluation is conducted for the first and second year separately. c. It shall be based on the syllabus and curriculum prescribed for the respective years. d. In exigency conditions the terminal evaluation shall be conducted online, the instructions regarding the same shall be issued by the chairman of the board of examinations. c. Types of candidates Different types of candidates for the higher secondary examinations are: i. School Going Candidates: Candidates who undergo the prescribed course of study in recognized higher secondary schools. ii. SCOLE Kerala Candidates: Candidates who undergo the prescribed course of study through SCOLE Kerala. iii. Lateral Entry Candidates: Candidates admitted to the second year of the higher secondary course as a school going candidate or a SCOLE Kerala candidate, after completing the first year of the higher secondary course in a different board like ICSE, CBSE, etc. iv. Special Category Candidates: Candidates who have completed the higher secondary course with a particular set of optional subjects and registered for the second year higher secondary examination and reappearing for the higher secondary examination with a different set of optional subjects. Such candidates need not appear for those subjects in the new combination for which they have already 22  became eligible during previous appearances. They shall register through SCOLE Kerala and undergo the CE, P E and T E for all the subjects for both years for which they are registering for the examination. v. Private full course candidates: Candidates who did not appear for the examination in the regular batch but appearing along with a later batch due to cancellation of registration, shortage of attendance or absence in any/all papers of the first year higher secondary examination. vi. Compartmental candidates: Candidates reappearing for the higher secondary examination after becoming ineligible for higher studies at the higher secondary examinations held previously. vii. Old scheme candidates: Candidates reappearing for the higher secondary examination after becoming ineligible for higher studies at the higher secondary examinations held previously with a different set of pattern or scheme. When a pattern or scheme changes, opportunities shall be given to candidates during three consecutive years to write the examination with separate question papers in the old scheme. Further, the candidates under categories i to iii are classified as regular candidates. d. Types of examinations The Board conducts the following higher secondary examinations. i. First year higher secondary examination ii. First year higher secondary improvement/supplementary examination iii. Second year higher secondary examination. iv. Second year higher secondary SAY / improvement examination v. First year higher secondary equivalency examination vi. First year higher secondary equivalency improvement/supplementary examination vii. Second year higher secondary equivalency examination. i. First year higher secondary examination 1. The first year higher secondary examination shall be conducted by the Secretary at the end of the first year of the course. 2. A notification for the conduct of all higher secondary examinations shall be issued by the Secretary. 3. The first year examination shall consist of continuous evaluation (CE) and terminal evaluation (TE). 4. There shall not be any practical evaluation for the first year. 5. All candidates admitted to the higher secondary course shall be eligible for promotion to the second year, if they register for the first year higher secondary examination. 6. Candidates who fail to register for the first year higher secondary examination shall be deemed to have discontinued the course. 23  7. For a candidate to become eligible for higher studies, attendance for all papers of the first and second year examinations is mandatory. 8. There shall not be any grades or separate minimum scores for each subject at the first year higher secondary examination. 9. The scores obtained by the candidates at the first year examination shall be carried forward to the second year and the combined scores of the first and second year examinations and grades obtained thereupon shall determine the eligibility of a candidate for higher studies. 10. A score sheet, showing the statement of scores obtained by a candidate at the first year higher secondary examination shall be issued to all candidates registered for the examination. a. Eligibility to register for the first year higher secondary examination The following candidates are eligible to register for the first year higher secondary examination: 1. Candidates admitted to the higher secondary course in a particular academic year shall be eligible to register for the first year higher secondary examination of that year provided they have undergone the process of CE in all subjects of the first year. Registration of candidates who have not undergone CE shall be automatically cancelled. 2. In the case of school going candidates, they shall have attained a minimum of 75% attendance during the first year of the course. Shortage of attendance can be condoned in deserving cases subject to rules in this regard. ii. First year higher secondary improvement/supplementary examination 1. The first year higher secondary improvement/supplementary examination shall be conducted by the Secretary after the publication of the first year higher secondary examination result. 2. This examination is intended to i. help candidates who have registered for the first year higher secondary examination previously to improve the scores of the first year subjects. ii. appear for those subjects for which the candidates were absent in the first year higher secondary examination in order to make them eligible to register for the second year examination. iii. enable the lateral entry candidates to register for the second year higher secondary examination. 3. A notification for the conduct of this examination shall be issued by the Secretary. 4. A score Sheet, showing the statement of scores shall be issued to all candidates registered for this examination 24 a.Eligibility to register for the first year higher secondary improvement/ supplementary examination 1. Regular candidates doing the second year of the higher secondary course, who appeared for the first year regular examination can register for this examination to improve the scores of any three papers of the first year examination. 2. Regular candidates doing the second year of the higher secondary course, who failed to appear for all/some papers at the first year higher secondary examination can register for all those papers for which they were absent at the first year higher secondary examination. In addition to registering for the absent papers, they can also register to improve the scores of any three papers of the first year higher secondary examination. 3. Lateral entry candidates who got admitted to the second year of the higher secondary course of this Board, after completing their first year of the higher secondary course from a different Board shall register and appear for all papers of the first year in this examination. Such candidates shall also undergo the CE process in all subjects of the first year higher secondary examination to become eligible to register for the second year examination. 4. Special category candidates who got admitted to the second year of the higher secondary course of this Board through SCOLE Kerala, after completing their higher secondary course and registered for the second year examination, with a different set of optional shall register and appear the papers of the first year examination in the new combination. Such candidates shall undergo the CE process in the subjects of the first year higher secondary examination in which they had registered to become eligible to register for the second year examination. 5. Compartmental and old scheme candidates shall be eligible to register either for the first year or second year papers of the subjects for which they failed to attain D+ or above grade. They can also register for both first year and second year papers if they so desire. Registration for the first year papers shall be made along with registration for the first year improvement/supplementary examination and the second year shall be made along with the registration for the second year higher secondary examination. In the case of a compartmental candidate registering for the first year papers only, the best scores obtained by the candidate for those papers at the previous second year examinations shall be carried forward and vice versa. iii. Second year higher secondary examination 1. The second year higher secondary examination shall be conducted by the Secretary at the end of the second year of the course. 2. All regular candidates who failed to register for the second year higher secondary examination for the shortage of attendance shall get readmitted to the second year higher secondary class to become eligible to register for the second year higher secondary examination. 3. The second year higher secondary examination shall consist of continuous evaluation (CE), practical evaluation (PE) and terminal evaluation (CE). 25  4. The candidates registering for the second year higher secondary examination should have appear either for the first year higher secondary examination or for the first year improvement/supplementary examination. a. Eligibility to register for the second year higher secondary examination The candidates detailed below are eligible to register for the second year higher secondary examination. 1. All school going and SCOLE Kerala candidates who have been promoted to the second year of the higher secondary course can register for this examination provided they have undergone the continuous evaluation process in all the subjects. Registration of candidates who have not completed the CE process shall be cancelled. 2. Lateral entry candidates who have undergone the CE process of all subjects of the first and second year of the course and who have appeared for the first year higher secondary improvement/supplementary examination can register for this examination. 3. Special category candidates who have undergone the CE process of the subjects of the first and second year of the course in which they are appearing and who have registered for the first year higher secondary improvement/supplementary examination can register for this examination 4. Private full course candidates who could not appear for the second year examination previously can register for this examination provided they had appeared for the first year higher secondary examination or the first year higher secondary improvement/supplementary examination. 5. Compartmental and old scheme candidates, who failed to attain D+ grade in any subject, can register for those subjects for which they failed to attain D+ or above grade. Such candidates shall be eligible to register either for the first or second year papers or both of the ineligible subjects. The best scores obtained by the candidate for the first or second year paper, as the case may be, shall be carried forward. Candidates desirous of registering for the second year paper of the ineligible subject shall register at this examination. 6. School going candidates shall have completed the second year of the course with75% attendance. Shortage of attendance shall be condoned subject to rules prescribed in this regard. 7. No candidate who is otherwise eligible shall be detained from appearing for the examination without written orders from the Director. iv. Second year higher secondary SAY/improvement examination 1. This examination is conducted after the publication of the results of the second year higher secondary examination. 2. A separate notification for the conduct of this examination shall be issued by the Secretary. 3. Consolidated certificates showing the eligibility/non-eligibility of a candidate for higher studies at the SAY/improvement examination shall be issued. 26 a.Eligibility to register for the second year higher secondary SAY/ improvement examination 1. Registration at the corresponding second year higher secondary examination is mandatory for registering for the SAY/Improvement examination. 2. Candidates who registered for the second year higher secondary examination and failed to become eligible for higher studies can register at the corresponding SAY/Improvement examination for all the papers for which they became ineligible, subject to the following conditions. a. Candidates who have attained scores in CE, PE and TE, but failed to attain D+ or above grade in a subject are eligible to register for the TE only of that subject. b. Candidates who attained CE and PE scores but was absent for the TE of a subject are eligible to register for the TE only of that subject. c. Candidates with CE and TE scores at the second year higher secondary examination, but was absent for PE are eligible to register for the PE only of such subjects provided, they have obtained separate minimum scores for the TE of the subjects concerned. 3. Regular candidates, of the second year higher secondary examination who became eligible for higher studies, can register to improve the scores of any one of the subjects at the corresponding SAY/improvement examination. v. First year higher secondary equivalency examination 1. The first year higher secondary equivalency examination shall be conducted by the Secretary. 2. A notification for the conduct of all higher secondary equivalency examinations shall be issued by the Secretary. 3. The first year equivalency examination shall consist of continuous evaluation (CE) and terminal evaluation (TE). 4. There shall not be any practical evaluation for the first year higher secondary equivalency examination. 5. All candidates, admitted to the higher secondary equivalency course shall be eligible for promotion to the second year of the course if they have registered for the first year higher secondary equivalency examination. 6. For a candidate to become eligible for higher studies, attendance for all papers of the first and second year higher secondary equivalency examinations is mandatory. 7. There shall not be any grades or separate minimum scores for each subject at the first year higher secondary equivalency examination. 8. The scores obtained by the candidate at the first year higher secondary equivalency examination shall be carried forward to the second year and the combined scores of the first and second year higher secondary equivalency examinations and grades obtained thereupon shall determine the eligibility of a candidate for higher studies. 27  9. A score Sheet, showing the statement of scores obtained by a candidate at the first year higher secondary equivalency examination shall be issued to all candidates registered for the examination. a. Eligibility to register for the first year higher secondary equivalency examination 2. Candidates admitted to the higher secondary course under the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority shall be eligible to register for the first year higher secondary equivalency examination. 3. Registration of candidates who have not undergone CE shall be automatically cancelled. vi. First year higher secondary improvement/supplementary equivalency examination 1. The first year higher secondary improvement/supplementary equivalency examination shall be conducted by the Secretary after the publication of the results of the first year higher secondary equivalency examination. 2. This examination is intended to help candidates who have registered for the first year higher secondary equivalency examination previously to improve the scores of any three subjects of the first year. 3. A notification for the conduct of this examination shall be issued by the Secretary. 4. A score sheet, showing the statement of scores shall be issued to all candidates registered for this examination a. Eligibility to register for the first year higher secondary improvement/ supplementary equivalency examination 1. Regular candidates doing the second year of the higher secondary equivalency course, who appeared for the first year regular examination can register for this examination to improve the scores of any three papers of the first year examination. 2. Regular candidates doing the second year of the higher secondary equivalency course, who failed to appear for all/some papers at the first year higher secondary equivalency examination can register for those papers for which they were absent at the first year higher secondary equivalency examination. In addition to registering for the absent papers, they can also register to improve the scores of any three papers of the first year higher secondary equivalency examination. 3. Compartmental candidates shall be eligible to register either for the first year or second year paper of the subjects for which they failed to attain D+ or above grade. They can also register for both first year and second year papers if they so desire. Registration for the first year papers shall be made along with registration for the first year improvement equivalency examination and second year papers shall be made along with the registration for the second year equivalency examination. In the case of a compartmental candidate registering for the first year papers only the best score obtained by the candidate for those papers at the previous second year examination shall be carried forward and vice versa. 28 vii. Second year higher secondary equivalency examination 1. The second year higher secondary equivalency examination shall be conducted by the Secretary. 2. All candidates appearing for the second year higher secondary equivalency examination for the first time are classified as regular candidates. 3. All candidates who failed to become eligible for higher studies at a previous appearance and appearing for subsequent examinations are classified as compartmental candidates. 4. The second year higher secondary equivalency examination shall consist of continuous evaluation (CE), practical evaluation (PE) and terminal evaluation (TE). a.Eligibility to register for the second year higher secondary equivalency examination The candidates detailed below are eligible to register for the second year higher secondary equivalency examination. 1. All candidates who have been promoted to the second year of the higher secondary equivalency course and who have completed the second year course as per rules can register for this examination provided they have undergone the continuous evaluation process in all the subjects. Registration of candidates who have not completed the CE process shall be cancelled. 2. Compartmental candidates, who failed to attain D+ grade in any subject, can register for those subjects for which they failed to attain D+ or above grade. Such candidates shall be eligible to register either for the first or second year papers or both of the ineligible subjects. The best scores obtained by the candidate for the first or second year paper, as the case may be, shall be carried forward. Candidates desirous of registering for the second year paper of the ineligible subject shall register at this examination. 29  Chapter 2 Pre-examination activities 1. Setting of question papers Question papers for the public examinations shall be prepared well in advance. Five to eight sets of question papers shall be prepared for each subject. Separate sets of question papers shall be prepared for hearing impaired candidates studying in special schools and for old scheme candidates whenever necessary. a. Pool of question paper setters There shall be a pool of question paper setters in each subject. Fresh question paper setters can be added every year. The teachers selected as setters shall submit details in the prescribed form (Annexure - 3). The selection shall be based on their experience and interest in teaching the subject, valuation, preparation of textbooks and modules in SCERT/NCERT, activities in SRG and DRG, publication of research papers, etc., along with higher academic qualifications. Besides, their integrity and confidentiality shall be taken into account. They must have at least six years of experience in teaching the subject as well as in valuation at the higher secondary level. In the absence of question paper setters as per the rules prescribed in the manual, the Secretary shall appoint setters from among teachers/ retired teachers of college/universities for setting the question papers. b. Panel of question paper setters From the pool of setters, the Secretary shall select a panel for each subject to frame the question papers every year. The panel shall be given training in the various aspects of the question paper. Each member of the panel shall prepare question papers for the respective subjects based on the blueprint developed by him/her strictly in accordance with the instructions given in the training. The setter shall also prepare the scheme of evaluation and the question wise analysis. c. Scrutiny of question papers The question papers prepared by the panel of setters in the various subjects shall be scrutinized by experts in the subjects concerned, appointed by the Secretary. Each setter shall hand over the question papers prepared along with the related documents to the expert who shall examine the same for any errors. The setter shall also ensure that the question paper is prepared according to the format and the instructions given. The finalized question paper and other documents shall be handed over to the Secretary after scrutiny. The Secretary shall keep the question paper and the related documents under safe custody. The question paper setters and the experts shall maintain the confidentiality of the question papers. They shall not keep any part of the question paper or related documents in their custody in any form after handing over the same to the Secretary. They are eligible for 30 honorarium, TA & DA as prescribed by the government. They shall be liable for any loss, incurred by the government, on account of any lapse on their part. d. Selection and printing of question papers On receipt of the question papers and allied matters, the Secretary shall keep them under safe custody after assigning code numbers to each question paper. Secretary shall present the code numbers to the Chairman for selecting a question paper for each subject for the examinations concerned. The Secretary shall get the selected question papers printed through confidential press and make arrangement for distributing them to schools e. Instructions to question paper setters 1. The complete work in this regard shall be confidential. 2. The setters shall not keep any part of the question paper in any form under their custody after submitting the question papers and related documents to the Secretary. 3. They shall take necessary measures to prevent the leaking out of any part of the question paper. 4. The question papers once submitted are the property of the Board, and the Secretary has every right to modify or alter them. 5. The question papers of part III subjects, other than languages, shall be bilingual. 6. Question papers and other related documents shall be neatly handwritten or typed in order to avoid any ambiguity in punctuations or symbols. 7. The questions shall conform to the standard and syllabus prescribed for the higher secondary students. 8. The question paper shall cover the whole syllabus and every question shall have an opening to students with varying levels of learning ability, including children with special needs. 9. The question papers shall not contain anything that violates the constitution or hurts the feelings of any sections of society or exhibit gender bias. 10. The questions shall be clear and concrete. 11. The setters shall follow the format of the blueprint, the question paper and the question wise analysis given by the Secretary. 12. If any scientific or mathematical data such as logarithm, values of trigonometric function, etc., are required to answer a question, it shall be given in the question paper itself. 13. The expert shall examine whether the question papers are prepared as per the format supplied and there are no factual or grammatical errors. 14. The expert shall also ensure that the question papers are prepared bilingually and that the two versions conform to each other. 2. Examination centres All Government and Aided higher secondary schools in the state and recognized higher secondary schools in Lakshadweep, Mahe and Gulf countries shall be centres for first and second year higher secondary examinations. The recognized un-aided higher secondary schools shall be designated as examination centres by the Secretary each year, only after satisfying the merit of each case. For an unaided school to be recognized as an examination 31 centre, there shall be a minimum of 20 candidates appearing for the examination from that centre and sufficient facilities for accommodating them. Unaided schools shall not be eligible for any allotment of funds from the Department for the conduct of the examination. For school going candidates, their school of study shall be the examination centre. For SCOLE Kerala/equivalency candidates the examination centres shall be allotted by the Secretary. Centre change shall not be allowed for subsequent appearances. In exceptional cases, the Secretary shall consider each application for centre change on merit and issue orders accordingly. For the first year improvement and the second year SAY examinations, the centres shall be decided by the Secretary. Any violation of rules /procedure in the conduct of examination as stipulated in these rules shall be sufficient ground for the cancellation of the examination centre by the Secretary. 3. Publication of notification Detailed notification for the conduct of each examination shall be issued by the Secretary. In addition to other instructions, it shall contain the following. 1. Date and time of practical and terminal evaluations. 2. Date of remittance of fee and mode of payment. 3. Date of submission of application in the centres. 4. Registration for the public examinations. All regular school going and lateral entry candidates for the first and second year higher secondary examinations shall submit their fee to the principals of their schools. Regular SCOLE Kerala/equivalency candidates shall submit the fee to the principals of the examination centre allotted to them. Compartmental and other candidates shall submit their applications along with the fee to the principals of the examination centres where they wrote the examination previously. The candidate registering for the first year improvement and SAY examination shall submit the application (Annexure – 4) along with the fee to the principal of the examination centre concerned. The principals shall take steps to register the candidates online. No examination fee shall be collected for the first appearance from school going students eligible for fee concession. The principal of the school shall get the examination fee of such students reimbursed from the departments concerned. The examination fee, certificate fee and fine (if any) collected shall be remitted to the treasury by the principal in the prescribed head of account in time. The chalan for the remittance shall be kept in schools and it shall be produced for verification on demand. a. Preparation of nominal roll The nominal roll is the document containing all the details of the candidates appearing for an examination, including the register number. The Unique Identification Number issued to every student by the Government shall also be included in the nominal roll. 32  The data of the first year school going students prepared by the Directorate and that of SCOLE Kerala and equivalency candidates, provided by the concerned authorities shall be made available by the Secretary in the departmental portal for the Principals to complete the registration process. In the case of second year higher secondary examination, the Secretary shall publish the list of eligible candidates and the principals shall register the candidates as per rules in this regard. The list of eligible compartmental and other candidates with their eligible papers for registering the examination shall also be made available to the principals for registering as per rules. For the first year improvement/supplementary and the SAY/improvement examinations the list of eligible candidates shall be provided by the Secretary and the Principals shall register the candidates based on the applications submitted. Based on the registrations made, the Secretary shall publish the nominal rolls for the various higher secondary examinations. b. Question paper requirement Based on the registration for each examination, the Secretary shall publish the question paper requirement statement for each examination centre online. The principals shall check the statement and make corrections, if necessary. The principals shall be responsible for any lapse in this regard. c. Admission ticket Admission tickets shall be available in the departmental portal before the commencement of the examination. The Principal of the centre shall download the same, identify the candidates, put his signature and seal in the allotted space and issue them to the candidates. It is the principal’s responsibility to verify whether the photograph on the admission ticket tallies with that uploaded at the time of admission/registration. The Principals shall maintain a register of admission tickets and shall issue the same to the candidates after receiving their dated signature in the register. In case of loss of admission tickets, the Principals shall issue a duplicate to the candidate on application super scribing the word duplicate in red ink. The issue of a duplicate admission ticket shall be noted in the register. d. Condoning of shortage of attendance. 1. For regular school going candidates, a minimum of 75% attendance in the respective year is compulsory for appearing for the first and the second year higher secondary examinations. The attendance up to the last working day of January shall be reckoned for calculation of the percentage of attendance. 2. Candidates who have attained 50% attendance and above but less than 75% during the first or second year of the course shall apply for condoning the shortage of attendance in the prescribed format (Annexure 5) through the principals concerned. 3. Candidates who have to apply for condoning the shortage of attendance, shall submit term wise report of their attendance and reason for the absence with medical certificates to the RDD’s concerned through the principals during the term concerned itself. The RDDs shall consider only such cases for the approval of the request. 33  4. The Regional Deputy Director concerned of the General Education (Higher Secondary) is delegated with powers to condone the shortage if the student has at least 60% of the attendance. For the students having less than 60% of attendance, the Director is the authority to condone the shortage on the recommendation of the RDDs concerned. However, a student with an attendance of less than 50%, is not eligible to get the shortage condoned. Such second year candidates shall be readmitted to the second year of the course, to recoup the shortage of attendance as per rules. 5. Candidates are eligible to condone shortage of attendance only once during the course of study, i.e., for the first or second year. 6. The application for condoning shortage of attendance duly recommended by the principal shall be submitted to the concerned RDD along with the following documents. a. Original chalan for the fee remitted. b. Medical certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner if the absence due to ill health exceeds five days at a stretch. c. Declaration showing the reason for each absence. The reasons shall be satisfactory and supported by documentary evidence. d. Certificate from the principal stating that the applications for leave were submitted in time and the same has been granted. e. In the case of second year students, a certificate from the principal stating that the condoning of the shortage of attendance has not been granted to the candidate during the first year of the course. e. Cancellation of registration A candidate who has registered as a regular candidate for the second year higher secondary examination can apply for the cancellation of the examination registration. The application for cancellation, (Annexure- 6) recommended by the Principal of the school, along with the original chalan for remittance of the prescribed fee, shall be submitted to the Secretary before the publication of the result of the examinations concerned. Cancellation shall be granted observing the following norms 1. Application for cancellation of registration of an examination shall not be entertained after the publication of the result of the examination concerned. 2. Once a candidate’s registration is cancelled, his/her next appearance shall be treated as first appearance. 3. The first year scores of a candidate, applying for cancellation of registration of second year examination, shall be retained. 4. Cancellation of the first year higher secondary examination shall be granted only as a part of course cancellation. 5. Cancellation shall not be granted to the first year improvement/supplementary/second year SAY/improvement examinations. 5. Distribution of examination materials Examination materials such as main answer books, additional sheets, bar-coded answer books, CV covers, question papers and all other forms shall be supplied to all examination centres in time by purchasing or printing the same. 34 6. Officials for examination The following officials shall be posted for conducting terminal and practical evaluations. All staff of the higher secondary school including teachers and principals shall neither be granted leave during the period of the examination nor exempted from examination duties. 1. Chief superintendent. 2. Deputy chief superintendent. (For Terminal Evaluation only) 3. Invigilator. (For terminal Evaluation only) 4. Clerk. 5. Office assistant. (For Terminal Evaluation only) 6. Night watchman. (For Terminal Evaluation only) 7. State chairman. (for Practical Evaluation only) 8. District chief examiner. (for Practical Evaluation only) 9. External examiner. (for Practical Evaluation only) 10. Internal examiner. (for Practical Evaluation only) 11. Laboratory assistant. (for Practical Evaluation only) Note: Laboratory assistants of the schools concerned shall function as clerk/office assistant/night watchman in connection with the examination and payments shall be made as per rules. a. Chief superintendent There shall be a chief superintendent in all examination centres appointed by the Secretary. While making postings of chief superintendents the Secretary shall use his discretionary powers to ensure that examinations are conducted smoothly in all examination centres. i. Appointment of chief superintendents Normally the Principal of a school other than unaided schools shall be posted as chief superintendents. In the following circumstances, substitute postings of chief superintendents shall be made. 1. If the son/daughter of the principal is appearing for the examination in the same school. 2. If the principal is undergoing disciplinary action. 3. If it appears to the Secretary that the principal is incapable of performing the duties as chief superintendent. The following norms shall be adhered to while making postings of substitute chief superintendents. 1. The substitute shall be the senior-most higher secondary school teacher of the school. 2. Seniority shall be reckoned based on total service as HSST/ HSST(Jr). 3. The principal shall report the inconvenience to the Secretary sufficiently early along with the willingness of the substitute. 4. Orders shall be issued by the Secretary for the appointment of substitute chief superintendents. 35  In the case of unaided higher secondary schools, chief superintendents shall be posted from among the senior teachers of government higher secondary schools, their seniority being reckoned based on total service as HSST/HSST(Jr). ii. Duties of chief superintendents. The chief superintendent shall: 1. take measures to ensure the smooth conduct of practical and terminal evaluations strictly as per the instructions issued in this regard. 2. maintain all the registers prescribed in connection with the examination. 3. receive the main, additional and bar-coded answer books and CV covers supplied to the school and maintain their account. 4. ensure that his/her monogram is affixed on the facing sheet of the answer book and also on the additional sheets supplied to candidates in the examination halls. Also, ensure that the monogram is affixed on the answer script just below the point where the candidate finished writing. 5. ensure that the monogram is not affixed anywhere in the bar-coded answer script meant for double valuation subjects. 6. receive the question papers from the Secretary in the presence of the deputy chief superintendents. 7. take every measure to ensure the safety of the question papers and keep one of the keys of the safe containing question papers. 8. make all necessary arrangements for the conduct of the examination. 9. purchase materials for practical evaluation and stationery for terminal evaluation. 10. supervise and control the deputy chief superintendents, invigilators, external examiners and the other staff appointed for the conduct of the examinations. 11. take necessary action as per rules in the case of malpractices. 12. collect answer scripts from the invigilators, pack them as per instructions and send them to the CV camps concerned in time. 13. disburse TA/DA and remuneration to officials and the scribes appointed as per rules. 14. maintain all accounts of expenditure in connection with the examination. The principal and the substitute chief superintendents shall be jointly responsible for settling the amounts sanctioned for the conduct of examinations. iii. Duties of Principals. The principals of all higher secondary schools are posted as chief superintendents. The principals of all higher secondary schools shall perform the following functions even if he/she is not posted as chief superintendent. He/she shall 1. collect the examination fee from the candidates and register them online. 2. remit the fee collected in treasury. 3. verify the question paper requirement and correct it if necessary. 4. receive all examination materials supplied to the school and keep them under safe custody. 5. take necessary steps for getting grace marks and other eligible concessions. 6. publish and upload the continuous evaluation scores. 7. download, countersign and distribute the admission tickets. 36  8. appoint a clerk, an office assistant and a night watchman. 9. appoint the internal examiners and laboratory assistants for practical evaluation. 10. distribute the score sheets/certificates, migration certificates, etc., to all candidates. 11. withdraw the fund allotted for meeting the expenses relating to the examinations from the treasury, and hand over the same to the substitute chief superintendent if any. 12. settle all accounts relating to funds drawn for the examination. 13. take action upon all instructions relating to the examination issued by the Secretary from time to time. b. Deputy chief superintendents There shall be two deputy chief superintendents in each examination centre. In examination centres with more than 750 candidates, there shall be three Deputy Chief Superintendents. i. Appointment of deputy chief superintendents The deputy chief superintendents shall be an HSST/HSST(Jr) posted to an examination centre by the Secretary from different schools. They shall be posted within the district or in special situations neighbouring districts based on seniority. The seniority shall be reckoned based on total service as HSST/HSST(Jr). ii. Appointment of deputy chief superintendents to examination centres in Gulf countries and Lakshadweep. The higher secondary school teachers of government and aided schools in the state shall be appointed as deputy chief superintendents to the higher secondary examination centres in Gulf countries and Lakshadweep by the Government on the recommendations of the Director. The teachers willing to be posted shall submit their application to the Secretary in the prescribed form through the principal and duly recommended by the RDD concerned. Regular teachers having a minimum of ten years of service as HSST /HSST(Jr) on the date of application are eligible to apply. Separate applications shall be submitted for the Gulf countries(Annexure-7) and Lakshadweep. (Annexure 8-9) Teachers applying for duty in examination centres in the gulf countries shall have a valid passport. The posting in the Gulf countries shall be given only once in the service of a higher secondary school teacher. iii. Duties of deputy chief superintendents The deputy chief superintendent shall 1. work under the control and supervision of the chief superintendent and render all assistance for the conduct of examination as per rules. 2. (Senior deputy chief) act as the chief superintendent in the temporary absence of the chief superintendent. 3. report directly to the Secretary any irregularity/violation of rules noticed in the examination centre. Such cases shall be reported immediately over the phone. And shall also email a detailed report on the same day itself. 4. be present in the examination centre at the time of receipt of question papers and ensure all the question papers required for the centre have been received in sufficient numbers. Shall also verify whether the seals on the question paper packets are intact. Verification 37  of the seal on the question paper packets shall be done on each day of the examination at the time of opening of the question paper packets. 5. ensure the question papers are kept in a separate safe with double locker facility, which can be opened only by using two keys. One of the two keys shall be kept by the senior deputy chief superintendent. 6. verify whether the seating arrangements in the examination halls are as per the guidelines. 7. be present at the time of opening and closing of the question paper locker and authenticate his presence by signing in the relevant register. 8. visit all rooms when the examination is in progress and ensure that the invigilators are performing their duties as per rules and that the candidates are not indulging in any malpractices. 9. (senior deputy chief) assign duty to all the invigilators on each day of the examination. c. Invigilators There shall be invigilators in each examination hall for supervision. i. Appointment of invigilators The invigilators shall be permanent HSST/HSST(Jr) appointed by the Secretary. In the absence of sufficient number of HSSTs, high school and primary school teachers shall also be considered for invigilation duty. A teacher shall not be posted to his/her school as an invigilator. Invigilators allotted to a school shall be posted