Karnataka Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar on Monday said that the state government will not hesitate to act tough on private tutorials that are still conducting classes physically even in the wake of rising Covid cases. After a meeting with academicians and experts here, he told reporters that he had received multiple complaints that private tutorials were insisting on conducting classes physically.

"When the state government has taken a decision to stop conducting classes physically between Classes 1 to 9, tutorials must also follow this norm. For us, there is no need to make it a big issue or ego issue. This is a matter of children's health, hence, it is not right on anyone's part to be adamant," he warned.

The minister added that the government was yet to take a decision on whether to conduct examinations for Classes 1 to 9.

"There are two sides of arguments in this regard; that many feel that all students studying in Classes 1 to 9 must be promoted while some experts believe that it was appropriate to hold examinations for above Classes 8 and 9, so that students must have respect for examinations. Therefore, we are yet to decide on this issue," he said.