Promotion to next class in Maharashtra: Students happy, teachers worried

In response to the decision to promote all state-board students of Class 1 to 8 without examinations, students and teachers have expressed mixed opinions. Students said this decision was much needed due to the sudden shift to online education on account of the Covid-19 pandemic while, some teachers said this will affect academic performance in the next grade.

This decision was much needed as many students could not access online classes due to lockdown restrictions and shutting of offline schools on account of Covid-19 pandemic said Mayank Jain, a teacher. Jain said, "Many students of Class 1 to 8 especially those from remote areas and weak financial families could not access online education." Jain added, "This decision will prevent loss of an academic year."

Yasmeen Tinwala, a student said, "I was unable to attend online classes due to lack of smartphones in my family. I tried studying via virtual classes from my parents' smartphone but I was not confident about appearing for final exams."

On the other hand, some teachers said this push and pass policy without examinations will affect the academic performance of students later. Manasvi Poojary, a the teacher said, "If students are passed without final examinations they will not learn basic syllabus. Examinations are a test of student's knowledge and ability to learn. Some students might face issues in the next grade they are promoted to without exams."