17 Lakh Students to Appear for Tamil Nadu Public Exams in March 2026

Nearly 17 Lakh Students to Appear for March 2026 Public Examinations in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Close to 17 lakh students are set to take part in the Class 10 and Class 12 public examinations scheduled for March 2026 across Tamil Nadu. Of these, around 8.27 lakh students will appear for the Class 12 exams, while 9.09 lakh candidates are registered for the Class 10 exams. To ensure smooth and fair conduct of the examinations, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi held a review meeting with senior officials on Monday.

According to figures released by the School Education Department, 27,783 private candidates are among the Class 12 examinees, and 26,196 private candidates will be taking the Class 10 exams. In addition, 281 prison inmates are set to write the Class 12 examinations, while 395 inmates will appear for the Class 10 tests. Meanwhile, 25,051 students have registered for the Class 11 arrear examinations, including 5,944 private candidates.

To manage the large-scale examination process, nearly 49,000 teachers will be assigned daily for examination duties, along with over 4,900 flying squad members deployed to curb malpractice and ensure transparency.

Addressing concerns raised last year about misuse of the scribe facility meant for students with disabilities, the minister announced a new system of appointing trained volunteers as scribes, replacing subject teachers. This measure aims to prevent irregularities and ensure fairness. Additionally, a new A4-sized logarithmic table book with bigger and clearer fonts has been introduced for student convenience.

From this year, students appearing for Accountancy examinations will be allowed to use basic non-programmable calculators. To confirm the identity and residence of private candidates and ensure they write exams in their respective districts, Aadhaar-based verification has been implemented, with all relevant details uploaded into the system.

Regarding requests to install CCTV cameras at examination centres, the minister stated that the proposal is currently under consideration.