Following the announcement of the final Class 10 Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Class 12 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) board theory examination dates, students have asked for clarity regarding board examination pattern. Also, teachers have demanded information on the conduct of practical exams while schools have sought directions on the implementation of Covid-19 safety measures at exam centers.
On Friday, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) announced that Class 12 HSC board theory examinations will be conducted from April 23 to May 21, 2021, and Class 10 SSC board theory examinations from April 29 to May 20, 2021.
Students preparing for board examinations said they do not know the exact exam pattern for this year. Yashraj Pandey, a Class 10 student said, "We do not know the exact board exam pattern because the state board has not provided any details. The exam timetable on the official website of the board is not accessible so we do not have any clarity yet."
In 2020, after a gap of one year, the 80:20 (theory: practical) marks exam pattern was reinstated as internal assessment exams were scrapped in 2019. Till now, the MSBSHSE has not indicated any change of exam pattern for upcoming board exams.
In addition, teachers of state board schools and junior colleges said the schedule of practical tests should be released soon. Kanika Gupta, a Class 12 (HSC) teacher said, "Students under the Science stream need sufficient time to prepare for practical exams. Also, if practical tests are going to be conducted offline then we need to make arrangements to call students in batches to maintain distancing."
The principal of a Kandivali school said, "We do not have sufficient space in our school to accommodate a large number of students with distancing. The board should allot students to exam centers based on the capacity and availability of space considering there can be only 15 to 20 students per classroom with distancing."
