Board exams for classes 10 and 12 are not possible before May, state education minister Varsha Gaikwad said, also adding that the state is planning on opening schools and colleges for classes 9 to 12 immediately after Diwali.
The minister said her department wanted schools and colleges to open for older students immediately after Diwali so that the board exams and next academic year were not delayed. “Our department is planning to open schools immediately after Diwali for classes 9 to 12. The classes will be conducted either in two sessions or on alternate days, so as to maintain social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The students from these classes will be able to manage the pandemic protocol and there will not be any fear of the spread of coronavirus. We are planning to hold board exams for classes 10 and 12 in May and it is possible only if we start schools immediately after Diwali,” Gaikwad told Hindustan Times.
According to officials from the department, field officers have suggested avoiding holding the exams in monsoon owing to difficulties in rural areas. “We can hold board exams either in May or after the monsoon, during September next year. However, pushing the exams to September will result in wasting another academic year, which we don’t want. To complete the syllabus, including practicals before the exams, schools need a couple of months. The preparation for exams, including setting papers, their printing and transportation, need another one-and-a-half months. All this is possible only if we start schools by the end of November,” said an official from the school education department.
{{/usCountry}}According to officials from the department, field officers have suggested avoiding holding the exams in monsoon owing to difficulties in rural areas. “We can hold board exams either in May or after the monsoon, during September next year. However, pushing the exams to September will result in wasting another academic year, which we don’t want. To complete the syllabus, including practicals before the exams, schools need a couple of months. The preparation for exams, including setting papers, their printing and transportation, need another one-and-a-half months. All this is possible only if we start schools by the end of November,” said an official from the school education department.
{{/usCountry}}Gaikwad said schools for classes 1 to 8 would not be opened immediately. “We will begin with older students from class 9 and above in the first phase. For students from lower classes, online classes will continue as usual. The final decision about opening of schools will be taken by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. We do not want to shut down schools again after their opening because of the spread of the virus as it happened in some other states like Andhra Pradesh and Delhi,” she said.
The state government is expected to issue an SOP for schools and colleges on the lines of the ones issued for teachers, for whom 50% attendance has been made mandatory. Officials from the department said the decision will be taken for the entire state, although the local authorities will have the powers to differ depending on the Covid-19 situation. “Schools in remote areas with fewer Covid-19 cases were opened in July, but since it was against the Central government protocol of pandemic, we had to shut them down. This time, limited classes are allowed to open, concentrating only on board exams,” another official said.
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