In an attempt to prevent the academic loss of students whose admissions to First Year Junior College (FYJC) have been suspended midway due to the pending court matter on Maratha reservation, the state’s School Education Department has started free online classes on YouTube. Students can register and access virtual classes via YouTube videos in English, Marathi and Hindi for Arts, Commerce and Science streams.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Maharashtra, said that all schools and colleges in the state are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, due to the Maratha reservation case, the admission process for Class 11 has been postponed at present. As a result, free classes will be started online (YouTube Live) for Marathi and English mediums of Arts, Commerce and Science streams so that there is no academic loss to students till the commencement of Class 11 higher secondary schools and colleges. Students should register on this link covid19.scertmaha.ac.in/eleventh/.
Teachers catering to FYJC students are conducting daily introductory lectures of 40 minutes for Science, Commerce and Arts. Neesha Dalvi, a teacher said, "Students are left in a lurch as the FYJC admission process has been halted since September 9 after the declaration of the first merit list. They can attend these online classes, learn part of their syllabus and use their time while they are at home during the lockdown."
Varsha Gaikwad, state school education minister, tweeted on Sunday, "Online classes of Class 11 for Arts, Commerce and Science streams have been started from November 2, 2020. Interested students can avail this by registering online."
On the other hand, students have been repeatedly appealing to the state government to resume the FYJC admission process and start the academic year. Imam Azar, a student said, "I have been sitting at home since my Class 10 results were declared. As the Class 11 admissions are halted midway, I do not know what to study." While Dimple Bajra, another student said, "It is ironic to see that the state has begun online classes for FYJC when the admission process has not been completed. If the state can start virtual classes, the government should also focus on resuming the admission process and relieve the stress of students."
