Paper leak cases: High vigil for SSLC and II PUC exams

The Karnataka government has taken steps to conduct SSLC and II PUC annual exam-1 with elaborate security arrangements this year, in light of incidents of question paper leaks on social media platforms during the preparatory examination a few days ago.

School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa held a video conference with the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of all districts, Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayat (ZP CEO), and Superintendent of Police (SP), along with top police officials, and instructed them to monitor social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and others.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Bangarappa said, “The accounts of those who spread information about question paper leaks on social media or conduct transactions for financial gain through fake question papers will be blocked. Action will be taken under the BNS and the Education Act”.

“The Police Department has been instructed to keep a watch on habitual offenders involved in cases such as question paper leaks. This year too, steps have been taken to webcast the examination activities from all the examination centres in the state,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Minister clarified that, grace marks policy will remain the same and no grace marks will be awarded.

From February 28

Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) has taken steps to conduct the II PUC annual exam-1 from February 28, 2026, to March 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 1,217 examination centres.

This year a total of 7,10,363 students are enrolled from 5,174 PU Colleges across the State.

As many as 2,92,645 students are enrolled for Science stream, 2,11,174 in Commerce and 1,42,982 in Arts stream this year.

Record enrollment

The SSLC annual exam-1 will be held from March 18 to April 2 from 10 a.m. to 1.15 p.m. in 2,871 examination centres across the State.

A total of 9,02,889 students from 15,941 schools have registered for the SSLC annual exam-1 this year, which is a record number of students compared to previous years.

A total of 8,12,855 freshers, 62,845 repeaters, and 27,189 private candidates have registered for the exam. However, 8,96,447 students had registered for the SSLC exam-1, last year.

“This time, students have been well prepared for the SSLC and II PUC exams. Blueprint, model question papers, question bank, previous year question papers, along with answer keys and centum papers have been made available in the ‘Student Corner’ of the KSEAB website to prepare for the exam. Workshops and meetings have been continuously held. Parents’ meetings have also been held,” Mr. Bangarappa said.

Free bus travel

Further, he stated that students appearing for SSLC and II PUC examinations have been allowed free travel in KSRTC and BMTC buses. “In addition, steps will also be taken to arrange free travel for examinees in private buses in Malnad and coastal districts,” he said.

Tentative result dates

For the first time, the KSEAB has announced the tentative results dates for both SSLC and II PUC exam-1. As per the schedule, the II PUC results are likely to be announced on April 7 and SSLC on April 24.

The KSEAB has also announced the schedule for the annual exam-2. The annual exam-2 for II PUC will be held between April 25 to May 9, and SSLC from May 18 to May 25.

Helpline

The KSEAB has set up a helpline to assist students experiencing exam-related stress. Students can contact 080-23310075/76 for assistance.

Published – February 17, 2026 09:18 pm IST