After waiting impatiently for five hours, 16-year-old Chaitanya Katkar received his result at around 5:30pm. He scored 99.20% and got the second-highest score in his school, Balmohan Vidyamandir, Dadar. However, an anxious Katkar, who was unable to log in, reached the school around 3pm and waited for another two and a half hours.
“Our exams were postponed twice and the evaluation was done based on our previous test performances. More than CET and the results, I feel that it was unfair that despite working hard, we were assessed based on our last academic year’s performance as well,” said Katkar, who want to pursue science to study engineering. “I have started preparations for the forthcoming tests and admission process as well.”
After facing uncertainty all through the academic year and the cancellation of SSC board exams, Friday’s results attracted mixed reactions from Class 10 students. Faced with a delay in getting their results, students, principals and parents were both anxious and worried about the ambiguity related to the students’ future given the current situation.
For Reyansh Dutta, 15, including Class 9 marks in the evaluation was a disappointment. “There were no exams conducted in the final year of Class 9, and we were struggling to adjust with the new online class system in the initial few months of Class 10. I had worked very hard this year and was confident of scoring above 90% if the exams were conducted the regular way,” said Dutta who scored 84%.
{{/usCountry}}For Reyansh Dutta, 15, including Class 9 marks in the evaluation was a disappointment. “There were no exams conducted in the final year of Class 9, and we were struggling to adjust with the new online class system in the initial few months of Class 10. I had worked very hard this year and was confident of scoring above 90% if the exams were conducted the regular way,” said Dutta who scored 84%.
{{/usCountry}}He was among the few who managed to check his score around 1pm before the website crashed.
Parents also feel that students could have performed better if not for the uncertainties related to the evaluation process. “They (board) have included Class 9 marks as well, however, this batch did not appear for final exams in Class 9 due to the pandemic and lockdown. This is a bit unfair, but owing to the current scenario there was no other option,” said Shriram Samant, father of 15-year-old Chinmayee who scored 80% studying in Sane Guruji Vidyalaya English Medium School, Shivaji Park, Dadar.
Samant added, “However, instead of postponing the exam schedule time and again, they could have taken a decision earlier and not make the students anxious and stressful,”
Principals also expressed their displeasure with the manner in which this academic year progressed for the students as well as the school. Rupa Roy, Principal, Balmohan Vidyamandir, Dadar, said, “This academic year has been a huge disappointment for the children, starting with the pandemic, then struggling with online classes, followed by uncertainty about the exams, which was postponed twice and in the end, evaluation was based on both last year’s as well as this year’s performance.”
Roy added, “The children have worked extra hard this year but despite that, evaluating last year’s performance as well, is unfair. Moreover, just when the students expected things to settle with the results, the website crashed, it just seems that their waiting period is endless. For 16-year-old’s all this is not less than a nightmare.”
“Students are in a dilemma, the current situation has put students under stress as well. Facing all this at this age will surely make the students stronger and prepared to face adverse situations. These students have not appeared for a public exam, it is the onus of the school on how they are preparing the students for external exams as they have to appear for entrance tests for Class 11 admissions,” said Kshama Valanjoo, assistant Headmistress, VPM Vidyamandir, Dahisar. The delay in restoring the website led to many students rushing to their school to find out the results.
Meanwhile, some schools are also making efforts to prepare the students for the CET exams to ensure they manage to get admissions to colleges of their choice. Balu Dhawale, Principal, Saraswati High School, Ghodbunder Road, Thane, said, “It is the onus of the school to prepare students accordingly, we had counselling as well as teaching conducted online to ensure that the students can cope with the current situation. Even after the results are out we continue to conduct online classes to prepare them for entrance exams. These are some ways to ensure that the students are prepared to cope with the circumstances put before them in current situations.”
Students’ anxiety continues despite the announcement of results as they have yet to appear for their CET which will be the basis of their admissions. Moreover, there is no reference point for such an entrance exam for these students as they wait for the announcements related to their CET and admission process.