Mumbai: The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) board examinations are scheduled to begin on March 1. Parents of students attending the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) schools have begun a signature campaign to oppose the decision of the state board to scrap internal examinations, starting this year. Teachers claim it is too late to protest as it will create last-minute panic among students.
The civic education committee has also written a letter to the board in support of the parents. But the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) is adamant about its decision. A senior officer of the state board, Mumbai division, said, “We have implemented this decision on a pilot basis for this year. Parents should realise it is already February and we cannot change the examination pattern at this time.”
Over 14,618 students studying in BMC schools are appearing for the Class 10 board examinations this year. Parents claim, the state board cannot scrap internal examinations as the exams help students build personality, develop self-confidence, communication skills and also score higher marks, putting them on a par with students of other boards.
But amidst this opposition, parents are forgetting that examinations are less than a month away, teachers said. Renuka Pulaskar, a teacher, said, “Parents are opposing and protesting at the last minute. Even if the board does revoke its decision, it will still be too late to conduct internal exams. This will cause panic among students.”
Internal exams include oral tests, projects, assignments and practical exams. Rajendra Kanade, a parent, said, “Students take oral tests including recitation, dictation and essay writing, which helps them better understand the subject. Students of civic-run schools are not well-versed in English, so it helps them to improve their communication skills and also score high marks, especially in language subjects.”