Students of state-board schools who have failed in Class 9 and 11 can now clear by appearing for a re-examination through oral exams and get promoted to Class 10 and 12 respectively, according to a government resolution (GR) released by the state on Wednesday. The state has directed schools to conduct these exams by August 7 via video conference or by calling students physically to schools in batches.
This decision has been taken to provide a second chance to students on account of the COVID-19 crisis. The GR stated, "Students who clear these re-exams will be promoted to Class 10 and 12 respectively in the academic year 2020-21."
City school authorities claim it is not feasible to conduct oral exams via video conference due to lack of internet accessibility and absence of smartphones. Hasan Lal, a teacher of a South Mumbai school said, "The state government needs to understand that not all students have access to smartphones or internet facilities. How are we supposed to conduct re-exams via video conference if they do not have access to smartphones or internet? Some students have a single smartphone in the house and have to wait for their parents to return home after work in the night."
In addition, some students have returned to their villages due to the pandemic crisis and cannot be called physically to schools. Mugdha Chawla, senior teacher of a Borivali school said, "Some students have returned to their villages or native states due to the pandemic crisis. Are we supposed to call these students from remote districts for a one day re-exam? There is a lockdown in place and physical schools are shut so, how are these kids supposed to travel?"
