The State Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said in the video message that the last paper of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination, geography, which was postponed due to the lockdown, now remains cancelled.
The final exams for classes IX and XI will also be cancelled and students will now be assessed on the basis of their performance in the first-semester exam and internal assessment.
A notification regarding the decision will be released on Monday, officials from the department said.
Work experience exams, opted by for specially-abled students, have also been cancelled.
State Board secretary Ashok Bhosale said, “We are still expecting written instructions from the board on how to go about this. We expect the directives by tomorrow.” Around 17,65,898 students had appeared for SSC examinations this year.
Uday Nare, a teacher at Hansraj Morarji Public School, said, “Due to the extended lockdown, there is a possibility that the assessment work will suffer. Till date, many the written papers have not reached many examiners, who are required to send it to moderator and chief moderator later. Moreover, the department has not specified how the marks for the pending exam will be calculated.”
However, along with the cancellation of the exam, Gaikwad also announced that the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) will now decide on evaluation and assessment process as per schedule.
The last and pending exam of Class X was slated on March 24 but was postponed amid nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus crises.
Board chairperson Shakuntala Kale refused to comment on the results and marking pattern after the paper has been cancelled.
She said, “The minister has just made the announcement, board officials will meet and discuss the procedure.”
