HSC exam results to get delayed due to ongoing boycott by jr college teachers

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) class 12 students may face a delay in their exam results this year due to the ongoing boycott by junior college teachers who are responsible for checking the answer sheets

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) class 12 students may face a delay in their exam results this year due to the ongoing boycott by junior college teachers who are responsible for checking the answer sheets.

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As per reports, the class 12 exams started on February 21, and around 40 lakh answer sheets are still lying in the exam centres due to the boycott. Unless the teachers withdraw their boycott, the answer sheets will not be checked, leading to a delay in the announcement of results.

According to the state education department, 14.5 lakh students have appeared for the class 12 exam. Mukund Andhalkar, conveyer, of the Maharashtra State Federation of the Junior College Teachers Organisation (MSFJCTO) said, “Five subject exams have been conducted so far. On average, every day, eight lakh students sit for the examination. Due to the boycott, the work of checking the answer sheets collected at the examination centre has not started.”

He said generally after each paper gets over, there is a meeting of the moderators in the board office, which did not happen this time as the paper examiners did not receive any instructions. “This is another reason why the work of checking the answer sheets did not start,” said Andhalkar.

All the moderators have submitted a letter to the secretary of the board, as they were participating in the boycott. He said, “Vis-à-vis our demands, we have demanded that the education minister look into them as early as possible and fulfil them.” In the Mumbai division, 63 answer booklet collection centres are set up.

According to the schedule drawn up by the board, the examiner has to submit the assessed papers to the moderator within 15 days from the day of the examination of the subject were completed. Each examiner must grade 24 answer sheets per day.

Andhalkar said, “Teachers have various demands, the key being the implementation of the old pension scheme, filling vacant teachers’ posts, and raising the retirement age to 60.” A teacher of a Marathi subject said, “Ideally, I should get a call regarding the assessment on Friday. However, if chief moderators have boycotted the meeting, there will be no model answers for moderators and examiners to evaluate the papers.”

On Wednesday last week, MSFJCTO met with education minister Deepak Kesarkar on their demands. Minister took the position of giving favourable assurances regarding some demands, but MSFJCTO had not yet received minutes of the same. Andhalkar said, “After receiving the minutes of a concrete decision regarding some demands, the further decision regarding the agitation will be taken by holding a meeting of the MSFJCTO’s executive committee.” On the boycott row Sharad Gosavi, chairman, MSBSHSE, said, “Meeting held with MSFJCTO concluded on positive mode. Minutes of the meeting will be available to the organisation in the next two days.”