Teachers question Vinod Tawde's diktat, claim it's an election gimmick

A student busy with last minute preparations outside her exam centre. File pic

Teachers have questioned the education minister's diktat on distributing aptitude test results before March 22 as since its introduction, they have been released along with SSC results.

The state government had suddenly declared that aptitude test report cards should be distributed to students before March 22, the day the SSC examination finishes. "In addition, teachers have to give the report cards to students at their Std X exam centres, and take their signatures, noting that they have received their results. In many schools, written examinations will begin now. More so, assessment for SSC has also started," said Jalindar Sarode, general secretary of Shikshak Bharati. Teachers are now more annoyed with additional responsibility.

Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde

"What is the point of this? Nobody makes future plans until SSC results are out. We don't understand why the state government is in such a hurry this year," said one of the teachers. The aptitude test, the brainchild of State Education Minister Vinod Tawde, was introduced in 2016.

In the first year itself, the test was embroiled in controversy after the results were declared, as each report card had the minister's photo on it. "Is this what the government is planning again? Is it a subtle way of campaigning for the ruling party as the report card for the aptitude test will reach around 12 lakh households in the state?" said another teacher.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates