E-Paper
HSC, SSC students to take exams at own schools, junior colleges: Maharashtra min
The staff at all the board offices and those working in the exam centres, including teachers, will be vaccinated on priority basis before the exams
State education minister Varsha Gaikwad on Saturday said that though HSC (Class 12) and SSC (Class 10) exams would take place offline, students will get their own schools and junior colleges as centres. In case there is inadequate seating in their school or college, students will be allotted the nearest centre.
While HSC exams will be held from April 23 to May 21, SSC exams will be conducted from April 29 to May 20.
“Considering the geography and demography of the state, we have decided to go ahead with offline exams. Online exams do not seem to be an option as a large number of students might not have access to technology,” said Gaikwad.
The education department had released a set of guidelines for conducting the exams in the state in light of the rising Covid-19 cases and the resultant restrictions. Similarly, a list of concessions in light of the pandemic was also announced on Saturday.
Gaikwad said that students of Class 10 will have to submit assignments instead of their science practical exams. Class 12 students from the science stream will appear for practical exams at their respective colleges from May 22 to June 10, while those from the arts, commerce and vocational streams will have to submit assignments instead of practicals. The details with respect to assignments will be released soon. Students will be given an additional 30 and 15 minutes for the three-hour (80 marks) and two-hour (40/50 marks) papers, respectively.
Students will have to reach the exam centre at least an hour before the exams and papers will be given to them 10 minutes before time.
The staff at all the board offices and those working in the exam centres, including teachers, will be vaccinated on priority basis before the exams.
The Maharashtra board will conduct a fresh round of exams in June for those students who might have missed their exams owing to infection, being quarantined or staying in containment zones. Supplementary exams for students will be held in July-August as usual. The government is also planning to write to authorities in the state to allow students to travel by public transport throughout the exam period after showing their hall tickets.
Some of the other measures include having an isolation room in each centre in case a student has to write their paper in isolation, and granting an hour more to students with special needs for a three-hour exam. Students can check the state board’s official website – https://www.mahahsscboard.in – for more details and updates.
Nearly 3.3 million students appear for Class 10 and 12 exams from the state board every year.
