E-Paper
MSBTE postpones Polytechnic exams due to local body elections
Classrooms, halls and other essential spaces needed for conducting examinations are now reserved for election machinery
puneletters@hindustantimes.com
The Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) on Saturday, November 22, deferred the Polytechnic examinations slated for December 1 and 2, attributing the decision to unavoidable administrative constraints linked to the forthcoming local body elections.
With elections for municipal councils, nagar panchayats and municipalities scheduled across the state on December 2, a large number of educational institutions have been requisitioned for polling arrangements.
Most polytechnic colleges and other educational buildings are being converted into polling centres or election offices. Classrooms, halls and other essential spaces needed for conducting examinations are now reserved for election machinery.
In a release, MSBTE stated, “It would be impossible to conduct exams on the day before the election, the day of polling and the day immediately after voting, as these three days are heavily occupied with election preparations, voting and subsequent administrative procedures.”
The board added that maintaining the sanctity and security of both the election process and the examination system simultaneously is not feasible, given the extensive deployment of staff, security personnel and infrastructure.
Accordingly, the December 1 exam will now be held on December 4, and the December 2 exam will be conducted on December 5.
MSBTE Secretary Umesh Nagdeve clarified that only the dates have been changed; the question paper pattern and syllabus remain unchanged.
The revised schedule applies uniformly across all MSBTE divisions, including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, as election-related arrangements have affected the entire state.
