New PIL to challenge internal evaluation pattern for SSC

Dhananjay Kulkarni, petitioner

After the PIL challenging the cancellation of the SSC exam was withdrawn from the Bombay High Court, the petitioner will file a separate petition to challenge the internal evaluation pattern. Even as SSC students and parents are confused about how the results will be given, the state has cancelled the HSC exam, and said its result will also be based on internal assessment.

A retired professor from Pune, Dhananjay Kulkarni, had filed a PIL against the cancellation of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination, last month. After a few hearings, the Bombay High Court concluded the case allowing the petitioner to withdraw the matter.

"There were three points on which I had approached the court. One was completely doing away with exams and the second was whether it would lead to unfair std XI admissions. Since both these points have been resolved as the Common Entrance Test (CET) is to be held for std XI admissions, and the SSC exam will be conducted later for those unhappy with the score given through the internal assessment. So, I have decided to withdraw my original petition. But the third concern of internal assessment remains unresolved and so I will be filing a separate PIL in this case. I have already submitted a letter about this to the Bombay High Court," said Kulkarni who has pointed out that in the pandemic, as students face a huge digital divide (not all students have access to online education), it is not going to be a fair marking system with a 50:50 formula for SSC results.

After the SSC exam was cancelled in April considering the pandemic conditions; Kulkarni filed a PIL against this in May. After the HC asked the state government to submit an affidavit to justify its decision to cancel the exam by providing an alternative way of assessment; the state government's education department declared a 50:50 formula for the SSC result. As per this method, the SSC result this year will be a compilation of the academic records of every student from std IX and X. While there have been three exams held for std IX for this batch last year before the pandemic outbreak, throughout the std X academic year there have been internal assessments in schools. Both these marks will be put together for all subjects to declare the SSC results, which can be used for First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions. This was the biggest concern for SSC students and their parents. A CET will be held for FYJC admissions, however, it will be optional.

HSC exam also cancelled

There won't be an Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination in Maharashtra this year, considering the pandemic conditions. The state education minister made the much-awaited announcement about this on Thursday after final pending approval from the Disaster Management Committee. The HSC result will be based on internal assessment. The date and formula of the result will be declared in few days.

"Considering the pandemic conditions and impending HSC exam, students were under tremendous mental stress. These students have been studying under the same conditions of uncertainty for the past 14 months. Considering all this, the state government has been promoting an alternative method of assessment, and also encouraging uniformity in such a process in all types of boards. Following this, the Maharashtra state has taken the decision to cancel the HSC examination," said Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad.

She added, "Several meetings were held with stakeholders starting from students, parents, teachers to even schools and education experts, and all had suggested cancellation of the regular examination followed by results with internal assessment. We are committed to declare the HSC result soon and through a fair process. The date of the result and the process to be used to determine it will be declared soon."

Gaikwad has also reiterated the need of declaring teaching and non-teaching staff working for board results as front-line workers. The state education department had earlier expressed this to the state government in March 2021. Now that result work needs to gain speed, it has been reiterated so that these staff members can be vaccinated on priority.

50:50
Formula suggested by state government for SSC result