Mangaluru: As many as 29,712 candidates from Dakshina Kannada are all set to appear for the SSLC board examination that will commence from March 28.

There are 932 private candidates and 141 repeaters among the 29,712 candidates. In Puttur, about five survivors of endosulfan poisoning are taking the exam. The exam will be held in 99 different locations. According to officials, the examination will be conducted in a manner similar to pre-pandemic days, with few Covid-19 restrictions.

Shamanth VM, nodal officer for SSLC examination, DK district, told TOI that the SSLC examination process is back to normal this year. When the exam was held during pandemic days, the number of examination centres was increased, and only 12 students were allowed to take the exam in a single classroom. This was done in order to keep a social distance. However, it is now back to normal, with a maximum of 20 candidates allowed in a class. The examination will take place in 1,498 classrooms.

Similarly, the numbers of examination centres too have been reduced to 99 from earlier 101. Mangaluru South has the highest number of centres (23), followed by Mangaluru North (20). Sullia and Moodbidri have six and five centres, respectively. Close to 2,000 staff including 99 examination centre superintendents will help in the smooth conduct of examination.

According to Sudhakar K, DDPI, all of the centres are equipped with CCTV cameras for surveillance. The department has provided washrooms, drinking water, and other amenities for the candidates. Several meetings have been held with the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada and exam superintendents, who have been given specific instructions on how to conduct exams smoothly.