Major relief for lakhs of students, teachers, as state pushes HSC and SSC exams to May and June
Board students during a protest against examinations in Dadar in March. File pic
In major relief for lakhs of students appearing for the Maharashtra State Board Examinations and their parents, the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations have been postponed amid the rising COVID-19 cases. HSC and SSC exams will now be held in May and June, respectively. State Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad declared the decision on Monday afternoon in a video message.
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The State Education Department has also informed non-state board regulatory bodies regarding their decision and appealed to them to review their plans. A new timetable for the state board exams will be out soon.
“Considering the COVID situation in Maharashtra, the SSC (Std X) and HSC (Std XII) exams have been postponed. Children’s health is first priority for us and current conditions are not conducive to holding exams,” said Gaikwad as she put an end to the confusion over the examinations.’
While there has been major opposition to the board exams right from the start, the rising number of cases only intensified the protests. Earlier, the exams were scheduled to begin at the end of April. Students, their parents, schools and teachers had demanded the postponement of exams.
All eyes are now on the decision of non-state board bodies. The Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) exams and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) exams are scheduled from May 4 to June 10, and May 5 to June 7, respectively.
‘Stakeholders consulted’
“Keeping in mind the schedule of entrance exams as well as higher education admissions, HSC exams will begin by end of May whereas SSC will begin in June. The department is closely monitoring the conditions and fresh dates will be announced soon,” said Gaikwad, adding that the decision was taken after a discussion with all stakeholders and with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Other than students, parents and teachers, discussions were held with elected representatives from different parties to know ground realities. The education department also consulted tech-giants such as Google and TCS, reportedly to consider other ways of assessments for board exams. “But those alternatives cannot materialise as yet. It will take at least a year or so to prepare such a plan. But the department is in talks with service providers to keep alternative options ready for the future,” shared a source from the education department.
Confusion persists
“This decision was required but I am not sure if it is really relief or more time to stress over exams,” said a student, adding that they have been preparing for the exam for over a year now. Another student said, “Now the exam is postponed by a month, but there is still no clarity on what the situation will be then. Does this mean that it will be further postponed? The uncertainty continues.”
Welcoming the decision, Shivnath Darade from Shikshak Parishad Mumbai, said, “We had conducted a survey just a few days ago where 69 per cent of the respondents insisted on the postponement of board exams. The respondents included students, teachers and parents and all were pointing at the current COVID conditions in the state and the danger the exams would pose.” Another teacher said, “These are important exams and cannot be cancelled completely as students’ future decisions depend on them. But currently, the situation is not favourable. For the new dates too, a review should be taken before exams are finally held.”
While the decision was majorly well-received, there are several voices pressing for the cancellation of examination or using alternative methods of assessment that can be held remotely, such as internal assessments by teachers. Anubha Shrivastava, from India Wide Parents’ Association, said, “The situation is unpredictable and postponement is not going to really help as students and parents continue to remain under stress. Instead, there should be internal assessment or grading. The central government should intervene.”
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