Boards 2019: Maharashtra SSC students give full marks to new pattern

Around 4 lakh students have registered for the Class 10 exam from the Mumbai division, which includes Thane, Raigad and Palghar.

The secondary school certificate (SSC) exams were off to a smooth start on Friday, with most students finding the Marathi paper (Marathi medium) easy, but lengthy.

Students appear for the Marathi paper at Prabhadevi Municipal School, Mumbai on Friday (HT photo)

Around 4 lakh students have registered for the Class 10 exam from the Mumbai division, which includes Thane, Raigad and Palghar. The activity- based questions – a change introduced this year – got a thumbs-up from students. “The new pattern is good, as we don’t have to memorise the answers. It is simple and easy,” said Rushabh Junghare, a student of Swami Vivekanand School in Vashi. Some, however, said the time for the 100-mark comprehension-based exam was not sufficient.

Three students were turned away for coming late. “Some students came after 11.30am. They did not have a genuine reason for coming in late, so we had to send them back,” said Sharad Khandagale, secretary, Mumbai division board.

As the exams for English-medium schools will begin on Saturday, several students and their parents queued up at the board’s Vashi office for last-minute concession requests. “We are still getting requests for change of centre and extra time for those with special needs,” said Khandagale.

The board’s official helpline got more than 25 calls before the exam, mostly to enquire about the revised paper pattern. “Some students wanted to know what the new paper was. They were also stressed about writing a 100-mark exam,” said a counsellor at the board helpline.

This year, the board has scrapped oral exams for languages and social sciences. Thirty-four students have registered from the transgender category. The board is yet to verify their forms.