All Class XI students in Assam have been promoted because of disruption caused by flood and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall during their final examinations held last month.

This is the third straight year Class XI students have been promoted to Class XII following a request by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC), which regulates the higher secondary education sector in the state by prescribing the syllabus and conducting the exams for Plus Two students.

“We had to promote the Class XI students because of the Covid situation in 2020 and 2021 and due to natural calamities in 2022. Almost 50 per cent of the educational institutes were affected by flood and landslides that hit the state around mid-May. Over 3.5 lakh students were taking their Class XI final exams before it got disrupted,” Pankaj Borthakur, the controller of examinations, AHSEC, told The Telegraph on Sunday.

A notification issued by the AHSEC on June 9 had requested all head of the institutions affiliated to the Council “to promote all the students to HS second year, who had appeared partially or completely or filled up examination form but not appeared in the examinations, keeping in view the unanticipated natural calamities occurred during the examination schedule and other factors”.

Class XI exams were scheduled from May 5 to June 8. Though the council sets the exam papers, evaluation is done by the respective institutes that also declare the results.

Council sources said that there was very low attendance at the institutes where exams were held because students and teachers got caught in the glood and landslides and elsewhere exams could not be held because water had entered the institutes. More than 900 schools and colleges were affected in the flood and landslides, mostly in Dima Hasao, Hojai, Nagaon and Cachar districts.

Borthakur said the decision would not affect the students. “Already plus two final year classes have started,” he said, adding Plus 2 final results will be announced later this month.

Flood and landslides have claimed over 35 lives and affected 30 out of the 35 districts till now. Till Sunday, four districts remained affected by flood.