Maharashtra board exam 2021: Prelims to be held online or pushed back as city schools yet to reopen
Representative ImageMUMBAI: With the reopening of schools in the city still not in sight, pre-board exams for classes X and XII are either happening online or have been put on hold for the moment. Principals said they want clarity on the timeline to help prepare students for board examinations this year.
Schools across the state resumed physical sessions for classes IX to XII in November and classes V to VIII in January. The local governing bodies in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), though, are yet to give a nod to the reopening of schools. With Covid-19 cases in the city and the state on the rise for the past few days, reopening might be further delayed.
The closure, though, has principals worried. CBSE and Maharashtra state board have scheduled exams for classes X and XII in April. “We had an online prelim examination but haven’t been able to conduct science practicals for our students and we are worried that we won’t be able to do it before the board exams begin,” said the principal of a CBSE school. Practical exams for CBSE’s Class XII students begin on March 1.
The BMC in a circular issued on January 12 allowed schools to hold prelims or practicals if mandated by the educational boards. While no boards mandate it, a few schools in the city are calling students in small batches for the purpose. Some schools have also scheduled offline prelim exams in March and are collecting consent forms from parents. “We are keeping our schedule ready and the paperwork to hold the prelims as soon as the civic body allows us,” said another principal.
School heads said students will have a disadvantage vis-à-vis their peers in other cities. “The students in Mumbai are lagging now. I think the government must at least allow classes X and XII in the classroom. If not all students, at least the ones who are academically challenged or have not been able to cope with online learning,” said Rohan Bhat, trustee of the Children’s Academy group of schools.
Experts say there is a need for the government to also start planning HSC and SSC exams. “Since the state board caters to large numbers for exams, they should consider if students can appear in their schools and if the numbers are still large, they could open up more exam centres similar to how the BMC had made makeshift Covid centres for isolation/treatment during the pandemic,” said Francis Joseph of School Leaders Network, an education NGO. Over 17 lakh and 13 lakh students appeared for SSC and HSC exams, respectively, last year.
Schools across the state resumed physical sessions for classes IX to XII in November and classes V to VIII in January. The local governing bodies in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), though, are yet to give a nod to the reopening of schools. With Covid-19 cases in the city and the state on the rise for the past few days, reopening might be further delayed.
The closure, though, has principals worried. CBSE and Maharashtra state board have scheduled exams for classes X and XII in April. “We had an online prelim examination but haven’t been able to conduct science practicals for our students and we are worried that we won’t be able to do it before the board exams begin,” said the principal of a CBSE school. Practical exams for CBSE’s Class XII students begin on March 1.
The BMC in a circular issued on January 12 allowed schools to hold prelims or practicals if mandated by the educational boards. While no boards mandate it, a few schools in the city are calling students in small batches for the purpose. Some schools have also scheduled offline prelim exams in March and are collecting consent forms from parents. “We are keeping our schedule ready and the paperwork to hold the prelims as soon as the civic body allows us,” said another principal.
School heads said students will have a disadvantage vis-à-vis their peers in other cities. “The students in Mumbai are lagging now. I think the government must at least allow classes X and XII in the classroom. If not all students, at least the ones who are academically challenged or have not been able to cope with online learning,” said Rohan Bhat, trustee of the Children’s Academy group of schools.
Experts say there is a need for the government to also start planning HSC and SSC exams. “Since the state board caters to large numbers for exams, they should consider if students can appear in their schools and if the numbers are still large, they could open up more exam centres similar to how the BMC had made makeshift Covid centres for isolation/treatment during the pandemic,” said Francis Joseph of School Leaders Network, an education NGO. Over 17 lakh and 13 lakh students appeared for SSC and HSC exams, respectively, last year.
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