After facing flak from students and their parents, the Maharashtra state education department is likely to bring back oral examinations for Class 10 from the current academic year.
According to the Hindustan Times, Education minister Ashish Shelar confirmed that the committee’s report had been submitted to the government. “A decision on the issue is expected this week,” he told the leading daily, without revealing details of the report. The members of the committee told the leading that said there was a consensus on the need to bring back oral examinations, which counted for 20 marks.
A committee member told the Hindustan Times, “Concerns were raised about the disparity in marks between the state board and other board students as a result of which the former had to suffer this year. Apart from this, experts felt oral exams allow schools to test competencies of students better, especially in languages, as it allows them to express themselves better.”
Earlier, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) decided to scrap 20-mark oral examinations for languages and social sciences from 2018-19, as a result of which students had to take a 100-mark exam. Due to this, the state’s pass percentage saw a dip of more than 10%.
