Maharashtra mulls alternatives for assessment of Class 10, 12 board students as COVID cases rise; MPSC exam cancelled

The Government of Maharashtra is consulting with all stakeholders regarding alternatives for the assessment of Class 10 (SSC) and Class 12 (HSC) board students, Maharashtra school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Friday amid growing demand for the cancellation of the state board exams due to recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

In a video message, released on Twitter, Gaikwad assured students and their parents that the safety of students is the government’s foremost priority.

“In light of recent upsurge of COVID-19 cases, I've been holding consultations with student representatives, elected representatives from all parties, tech giants, parents, teachers and other sector experts regarding alternatives for assessment of HSC and SSC board students,” she said.

Maharashtra reported 56,286 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, which took its caseload to 32,29,547, while on Wednesday it had recorded the highest daily count of 59,907cases.

The rise in cases has already forced the Maharashtra Public Service Commission to postpone the Maharashtra subordinate services non-gazetted group B preliminary combined examination, according to a report on NDTV.

The examination was scheduled to be held on 11 April.

Keeping the COVID-19 situation in mind, the minister asserted that the government is reviewing the situation and a decision will be taken in the next few days.

In light of recent upsurge of COVID-19 cases, I've been holding consultations with student representatives, elected representatives from all parties, tech giants, parents, teachers & other sector experts regarding alternatives for assessment of HSC & SSC board students. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/0LbnMv6aXu

— Varsha Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) April 9, 2021

However, despite the reassuring tone of Gaikwad's statement, the confusion on Maharashtra Board exams continues.

On April 6, students and parents posted on social media to raise their demand to cancel the offline exams for Class 10 and Class 12.

Over 4 lakh tweets were posted using the hashtag #cancelboardexams2021. Many demanded that the exams be held online while few others raised concern about the impact of delayed board exams on the career of the students.

With recent reports making contradictory statements on the status of the board exam, it's important to be aware of what's been said about the exams.

Class 10 and Class 12 Board Exams

As reported in February, the Government of Maharashtra had released the dates for the commencement of board exams under the state board. As per the announcement, the Class 10 (matriculation) and Class 12 (intermediate) board exams in the state are scheduled to begin on 23 and 29 April, respectively.

While at one end, the state govt has not released a detailed schedule of the exam, some reports recently claimed that Maharashtra is likely to postpone the Class 10 and Class 12 Board exams.

However, since there has been no official announcement yet, students are advised to continue with their preparations for the exam and not take these reports seriously.

According to a report on Mumbai Live, the state school education minister has shared three plans with department officials at a meeting on 6 April. The plan suggests extra time, home centres and guidelines on allowing a second attempt, among other measures.

The state government has also assured that a second attempt at the exam in June will be given to any student who misses the board examinations.

But unless there is an official announcement, the dates for Class 10 and Class 12 Board exams remain unchanged.

Exams for students for Class 1 to 8

On 3 April, the Maharashtra School Education Minister Gaikwad announced that students from classes 1 to 8 would be promoted without examination due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exams for CLass 9 and 11

Gaikwad had also held a discussion with the officials from the education department to promote the Class 9 and Class 11 students without any examination, but no final decision has been taken yet.