No decision on holding board exams online yet, parents advise against

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) is yet to take a call on whether board exams will be held online or not.

Officials from the board noted that there is still time for the examination, and the final call will be taken as the exam dates approach closer.

Dinkar Patil, chairman of the MSBSHSE said that there is still time to take a final call on the nature of the exams this year.

“We still have two months, as the dates approach closer we will assess the situation and then take a call whether the examination should be held online or not. As of now, there is no such decision to conduct examinations online,” Patil said.

While the decision is still pending, students and parents are not happy with the online examination.

Sampada Waghmare, a student of class 12 said that giving an online examination will not be a good idea.

“For multiple-choice questions, it is easier but for subjective testing, the online examination can be difficult. We might have to type the answers. Or else we will have to visit a centre for writing the examination. There is no clarity on this as of now. As a student, I am more comfortable writing offline. That is how we have practiced so far. Offline exams will be more suitable for us,” said Waghmare.

Sharing similar views, Pragati Kulkarni, a parent of a class 10 student said that her son is more comfortable in an offline examination, but the fear of Covid continues.

“Class 10 and Class 12 are important academic years for a child. It is different to learn online but if the examinations are also online, the challenges will be different. In less than two months, the child might not be very well prepared to attempt exams online,” said Kulkarni.

Nishi Parkhe, a city-based teacher said that offline examination will be a better call as class 10 and Class 12 examinations are crucial for students.

“Online examination will require an entirely different centre. Subjective answers will be required to either be sent as a PDF or typed. Typing for students is not a regular activity and so may consume more time for them to answer one question. Moreover, an online centre may not be available in rural areas. The pdf for subjective answers can be difficult to check. This we have experienced during our midterm examinations,” said Parkhe.

She further added that for offline exams, with due safety measures, social distancing can be adopted.

“Offline examination can be conducted in a safer way by adding more examination centres. More centres will ensure that fewer children are accommodated in one class thus ensuring strict invigilation and more safety,” said Parkhe.