Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board recently cancelled the GSEB SSC 2021 cancelled. Thereafter, Class 10 students shall directly be promoted to the next standard without any examination. The state government has already appointed a committee to look into the problems arising from the mass promotion of Class 10 students. However, there are looming speculations about such problems will be resolved by the government. The problem is especially significant for students who wish to pursue diploma courses in the Engineering field.
According to reports, the state-appointed committee is looking into the possibility of holding an entrance test for Class 10 students who wish to pursue diploma courses. However, there are multiple hurdles in this plan, as clarified by a government source familiar with the issue. Conducting an entrance exam invariably means creating a separate merit list for diploma students. This process will be a whole different ball game for students living in rural settlements.
Addressing the impending problem, an expert commented that in 2020, approximately 25,000 seats for diploma in engineering went vacant. The primary reason for this was the lack of enthusiasm and interest among students. The number of vacant seats is expected to increase this year if the government plans to conduct an entrance exam. Usually, students from rural areas show a lot of willingness to participate in the diploma admission process. However, the entrance exam may reduce their participation, further affecting the admission process.
Apart from the challenge for conducting diploma admission, the state education department is also faced with the challenge of promoting Class 10 students to Class 11. Instead of direct promotion, the department is planning on doing so based on merit. Hence, schools and students shall also find it difficult to choose between science and other streams.
Currently, the appointed committee is looking at various alternatives to solve the issues. Once decided, they are expected to submit their consensus within the next few days. This committee comprises of various District Education Officers (DEOs), both working and retired along with GSEB officials. Certain representatives of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are also a part of the committee along with certain other officials.
Gujarat was one of the first states in the country to announce the mass promotion of Class 10 students without conducting any exams. Previously, the concerned education board had also issued guidelines for directly promoting students of Class 9 and 11. GSEB also announced the postponement of Class 12 boards for the current academic year. New dates shall be announced in due course of time once the situation in the country stabilises.
