Maharashtra announces HSC, SSC examination dates

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) will conduct the HSC (Class 12) examinations between April 23 and May 29, and the SSC (Class 10) examinations will be between April 29 and May 31.

State education minister Varsha Gaikwad announced the dates on Thursday. “While the board will try to declare the results of HSC exams by the end of July, results for the SSC exams will be declared by the end of August. Exams will be conducted in accordance with the Covid-19 guidelines as prescribed by the Central and the state government from time to time,” the minister added.

A detailed time table for the exams will be declared soon.

Every year, nearly 1.5 million students appear for the HSC exam, while more than 1.7 million students write their SSC exams in Maharashtra. The board traditionally conducts these exams in February and March every year. This year, they have been pushed further due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the resultant lockdown.

Gaikwad said as on January 18, more than 38% students were physically attending school every day. “Since standard operating procedures mandate students to attend every alternate day, the total attendance is nearly 76%,” she added. In all, nearly 96% schools in the state have reopened for Classes 9 to 12. The education department has also granted permission for the reopening of schools for Classes 5 to 8 from January 27.

The state education department has also undertaken a drive to identify out-of-school students and bring them back to schools as several students remain away from education due to the pandemic. The government has also asked parents to reach out to education officials and nodal officers in case there are complaints with respect to fees and other issues with regard to schools.

Practical and oral assessments will be held between April 1 and April 22 and April 9 and April 28 for HSC and SSC respectively.

If students miss out on the exams due to any reason, they can appear during the re-exams, which the board conducts every year after the regular exams.

Examinations for Information and Communication Technology will be conducted online.

NIOS parents move NHRC

Parents of students studying in the National Institute of Open Schooling have appealed to the National Human Rights Commission, demanding the cancellation of Class 10 and 12 exams under the board scheduled to be held next month. Parents said that several students were deciding not to appear for the exam this year as they were worried about the risks involved and also about travelling in the current situation.