MUMBAI: School education minister Varsha Gaikwad has once again reiterated in the state assembly that the SSC and HSC board exams will be conducted offline and the government is consulting experts on how best to manage the process.
“Parents and students are both very anxious and worried about Class X and XII board exams because they matter for college admissions. In parts of the state such as Gadchiroli, Nandurbar and other hilly regions, online education too isn’t possible and offline sessions have begun. Online education continues in some parts. This exam is the same for all students in the state and hence we have to consider all these factors. Keeping all this in mind and after consulting officials from the state board, we have decided that the exams will have to be conducted offline,” Gaikwad said on Friday.
The education department has set up a 10-member committee headed by Dinkar Patil, chairperson of the state board, to recommend the best ways to conduct SSC and HSC exams. The committee held its first meeting on Friday in Pune.
Nearly 17 lakh students appear for SSC exams and 15 lakh for HSC in the state every year. “We have already consulted with some experts to understand how to conduct the examinations in the offline mode in the most remote parts of the state. We are also considering if the exam can be conducted at the student’s respective school. We will do the best to ensure that while this academic year was difficult for students, the next year isn’t impacted,” she said.
Parents are worried though. “Shouldn’t there be offline prelims before board exams? A Class XII student in Mumbai has not written a single exam this year. It would be very stressful for students to directly appear for the board exams,” said a parent.