State directs schools to end academic year

With the extension in the nationwide lockdown until May 3, the state government has decided to end the academic year for schools under the state board as on April

With the extension in the nationwide lockdown until May 3, the state government has decided to end the academic year for schools under the state board as on April 14.

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In a letter, addressed to the education commissioner on Tuesday, the government directed schools to end their academic year 2019-20 and declare summer vacations to students.

“Students in Class 1 to 9 should be promoted based on their marks in the previous exams held. Schools can accordingly draw up their scores. For Class 10, SSC exam, the state board would come up with a marking scheme, as the last paper - Geography has been cancelled,” reads the letter.

The state’s publishing bureau- Balbharti has made PDF textbooks for Classes 1 to 12 available on its website. “It is good that the government has decided to announce summer vacations. Both schools and students were anxious as there is a lot of uncertainty about when schools would reopen. Since exams are cancelled anyway, students can sit at home and start working for the next academic year,” a principal of a suburban school said.

On Sunday, the education department declared the cancellation of Geography and vocational subject papers for children with special needs. Following the decision, the Maharashtra State Board formed a committee to come up with a revised marking scheme. “It is becoming impossible to transport answer sheets of Class 10 and 12 exams to the homes of teachers due to the lockdown. A decision on how and when to assess them would be made after the lockdown is lifted,” the letter further adds.