Even as speculations are being made that state board exams will be held online, officials at the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary (MSBSHSE) confirmed that there is no such plan. (File Photo) EVEN AS schools and colleges have been ordered to remain shut for offline lectures for Class 1 to 8 amid a rising number of Covid-19 cases, parents and students of Class 10 and 12 are worried about the fate of final board examinations scheduled in March-April 2022.
However, even as speculations are being made that state board exams will be held online, officials at the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary (MSBSHSE) confirmed that there is no such plan.
“We are of the firm opinion that examinations are important. And as of now, the plan to conduct offline examinations has not changed. We have already declared the timetable for the same. Having said that, if the situation changes due to Covid-19, the education department and the School Education Ministry will make a decision,” said Sharad Gosavi, Chairman, MSBSHSE.
He requested that students not rely on any rumours and said the board would announce in advance if there is any change.
For the last one week officials have been concerned over the rising cases and consultations were held with officials of other state boards. While Gosavi refused to share any details, senior officials said there were discussions over the possibility of conducting online examinations as well but it was ruled out.
“As of today, more than 31,50,000 students have registered for Class 10, 12 board exams. It is expected that the final number may cross 32 lakh. A majority of these students come from rural and tribal areas where there is a problem with networks and devices. The board doesn’t have the technical bandwidth to conduct online examinations for all these students. We even consulted some of the best private IT companies but even they couldn’t find a solution. Also, it’s not possible to conduct online exams since a paper pattern needs to be set and students need to be given advance notice and practice. There are 170 subjects in Class 12 and about 70 subjects for Class 10, so, setting a paper is a massive task,” said an MSBSHSE official.
Sources said that discussions were held with officials of other state board examinations, who have faced a similar situation. “Last time when offline exams were cancelled, a school-level assessment was done but the pass percentage was over 99.5 per cent, which was highest in the history of the board. To maintain the sanctity of assessment, exams are necessary…,” said another board official.
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