Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad confirmed that the Maharashtra SSC exams 2021 for class 10 have been cancelled. The decision to cancel the exam has been taken by the state government amid rising COVID-19 cases in the state. However, Maharashtra HSC exams stand postponed and new dates for the same will be announced by the board in due course of time.
Varsha Gaikwad on Twitter announced that “Given the worsening situation of the #Covid-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra government has now decided to CANCEL the state board exams for class 10th. Health & safety of students & teachers is our topmost priority.”
The news regarding Maharashtra SSC exam has definitely brought a sigh of relief for the lakh of candidates. As of now, the board has not decided the criteria based on which the class 10th result will be announced and the date for declaration of result. However, it is expected to be on the same level as CBSE and students shall get promoted to the next standard, i.e., class 11 on the basis of their internal evaluation.
While many parents and teachers have expressed joy in the news, on the other hand, educationists pointed out a grim reality that it shall be difficult for the board to give marks to the candidates based on the internal assessment as there are some students who have neither attended online classes nor enough offline classes. Moreover, it was also pointed out that this year, none of the baseline tests or cumulative assessments was held. Hence, it further raises questions to the Maharashtra board regarding the fairness of the internal marking system.
Almost all major state boards like Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, etc have canceled the class 10th examinations including CBSE and CISCE. As for, other board like Meghalaya Board, AP and UP, the examinations have been deferred.
Earlier this month, Gaikwad had announced the postponement of class 10 and Class 12 board exams 2021 amid a surge in coronavirus cases. She also added that the present situation is not conducive for holding board examinations in the state. According to the media reports, as many as 18 lakh students were expected to have registered for the Maharashtra SSC Board Exams 2021 and about 16 lakh candidates were going to appear for Maharashtra HSC exams 2021.
