<span style="color: #222222;">In Tamil Nadu, the State Government has cancelled public examinations for the Tenth Standard this year due to the looming COVID-19 situation.<br />'' <br />'' Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy said in a statement that all the students are deemed to have passed the examinations.<br />'' <br />'' The marks of the students will be assessed with 80 per cent weightage for the average score obtained in the Quarterly and Half-Yearly examinations and 20 per cent for school attendance.<br />'' <br />'' Over 9.79 lakh students were earlier scheduled to appear for the examinations from the 15th of this month.  <br />'' <br />'' Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the total number of COVID-19 patients has gone up to 34,914, with 1,685 people tested positive in the last twenty four hours.<br />'' <br />'' The new cases included 1,243 in Chennai. In all, 798 people were discharged from hospitals after recovery.<br />'' <br />'' AIR correspondent reports, The Tamil Nadu Government's decision to scrap the Tenth standard Board examinations this year comes in the wake of the Madras High Court suggesting postponing the tests in view of the COVID-19 threat.<br />'' <br />'' There has also been a growing chorus by most of the political parties including the allies of the ruling AIADMK and a section of the parents and teachers to either defer or do away with the tests this year.<br />'' <br />'' Along with the Tenth Standard, the board exam for the last paper left for the Eleventh standard has also been abandoned.<br />'' <br />''  On the other hand, Plus Two examinations have been held successfully in March itself.<br />'' <br />'' However, over 37-thousand students could not appear for their last paper which was held on March 24, due to the lockdown.<br />'' <br />''<br />''For them, a retest has been announced this month. It has now been deferred and a fresh date for the left over Plus Two exam would be announced later.</span>