TED NewsDesk, Mumbai: More than 73,000 students in standard X and over 1.31 lakh students in standard XII who failed their board exams in 2019 are now left amidst a chaos with no clarity as to when the supplementary examinations would be held. In fact, they ae now fearing whether the exams will be held at all and if so, what if it is too late for college admissions. Officials from the Maharashtra Education Board have said that the examinations will be conducted once the COVID-19 situation improves.
Shakuntala Kale, chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Education said that because of the current COVID-19 situation, no decision on supplementary examinations has been made so far. “Everything is closed including schools. Otherwise, the Board would have held the exams by now. But unfortunately, this year one cannot predict when the situation on the ground normalises.”
Since 2015, the Maharashtra Board has been conducting supplementary exams in July-August, and declaring the results by August end. This makes it convenient for students to apply for admissions to the next level of education. However, without a clear schedule in the current scenario, the major fear for students of classes X and XII is that they might miss out on the admission season for 2020. This fear has become more valid with the conclusion of FYJC round I on Thursday and the commencement of undergraduate admission processes for most universities in the country.
Students and parents have also expressed their concerns, citing this delay as a major obstacle in academic plans for the coming months. A parent said, “My son has filled up FYJC forms. He has failed in one subject which means he is allowed to keep the term (ATKT) and apply. But it would be easier for him to prepare if they declare the date.” A student expressed her disheartened situation by comparing the supplementary examinations by the Board with the recently conducted NEET and JEE. “If exams like NEET and JEE can be conducted, why can’t the Board conduct supplementary examinations? These are national exams with lakhs of students,” she wrote.
Whether the situation normalises soon or the board will finally make a decision, only time will tell. The fact remains that students are disheartened and inconvenienced due to the sluggishness of the decision by the board.
