FYJC assessments likely to be made easier, says Maharashtra education minister Varsha Gaikwad

In a bid to reduce stress among students of first-year junior college (FYJC) as colleges will reopen barely a few months before the new academic year ends, the state

In a bid to reduce stress among students of first-year junior college (FYJC) as colleges will reopen barely a few months before the new academic year ends, the state education department is mulling to tweak the assessment pattern.

(Representative image) The state education department is concerned that FYJC students will be under stress to complete the entire syllabus in the academic year 2020-21. (HT PHOTO)

State education minister Varsha Gaikwad said that with the delay in commencing the new academic year for FYJC this year, the government wants to make sure students are not stressed about assessments. She said a proposal to include only a limited syllabus for exams is being considered.

“We realise that colleges have very little time to complete the syllabus, and students too have barely any time to prepare for exams. While we already have reduced the syllabus by 25%, we are now planning to tweak the assessment pattern for these students,” she said. Gaikwad stressed that colleges will have to complete the current syllabus, but said students are likely to be evaluated only on limited components. “We are thinking of options like continuous comprehensive evaluation or keeping only a limited part of the syllabus for exams.”

Wednesday was the last day to complete admissions under the second merit list which was declared on December 5. Gaikwad said colleges can start their online classes anytime now. “In areas where schools and junior colleges are allowed to reopen, they can start physical classes following the norms as stated by the government,” she said.

On September 9, in line with the Supreme Court’s (SC) interim stay on the Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) or Maratha quota in jobs and education, the state education department stayed the admission process for FYJC until further orders. With this, the second merit list for admissions, which was originally scheduled to be released on September 10, was stalled, leaving over 2.42 lakh students in the lurch in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region alone. While the state government has revealed that admissions to all courses will now take place without the 12% SEBC quota, it has also clarified through its recent government resolution that admissions under the quota that have already been confirmed before September 9 will remain intact.