On Tuesday, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) announced a tentative schedule for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination.
For SSC and HSC 2021, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education tentative schedule dates put the Class 12 written papers first, from 23 April, with Class 10 following from 29 April. The board was clear that these were planning dates, not final ones.
The official release also warned students to not consider any false news regarding the schedule on social media and only believe the schedule given by the respective schools or colleges. “The probable schedule of written examination for April-May 2021 has been announced for the purpose of curriculum planning for schools / junior colleges and students as well as to reduce examination stress among students.
Prior to the examination, the schedule given to the schools or junior colleges in printed form will be considered the final schedule. Examination dates should be ascertained from the printed schedule given to the students by the respective school or college. Examination schedules declared by any other website or social media platforms must not be considered true by the students,” said Ashok Bhosale, secretary, MSBSHSE.
The exams will be tentatively held for class XII from April 23, 2021, to May 21, 2021, while class X board examination will be held between April 29, 2021, and 20 May 2021.
SSC and HSC 2021: Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education tentative schedule, date by date
The timetable is a revision of one announced only weeks earlier. On 21 January School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad had said the HSC papers would run from 23 April to 29 May and the SSC papers from 29 April to 31 May, all of them offline under Covid-19 rules, The Free Press Journal reported. The new version keeps both start dates and finishes both examinations earlier, the Class 12 papers on 21 May and the Class 10 papers on 20 May.
Schools and junior colleges were given until 22 February to send suggestions or objections in writing. “The timetable is not final and is subject to change based on the situation,” the board said, adding that “the final timetable will be provided to schools and junior colleges in printed format before the examinations.”
| SSC and HSC 2021 | Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education tentative schedule |
|---|---|
| HSC (Class 12) written papers, January plan | 23 April to 29 May 2021 |
| SSC (Class 10) written papers, January plan | 29 April to 31 May 2021 |
| HSC (Class 12) written papers, February schedule | 23 April to 21 May 2021 |
| SSC (Class 10) written papers, February schedule | 29 April to 20 May 2021 |
| Deadline for school and college objections | 22 February 2021 |
For detailed schedule of the examination, consult the official website of the board www.mahahsscboard.in
What has happened since
March 2021: concessions for candidates
Days after the schedule came out, Gaikwad said the papers would go ahead despite rising Covid-19 cases and left decisions on closing schools to district authorities, as The Education Daily reported. In March the department set out concessions for candidates, according to a Free Press Journal report of 20 March. Students would get 30 extra minutes for 80-mark papers and 15 for 40-mark papers, and differently abled students 20 minutes more.
Class 10 science practicals were dropped in favour of internal assignments, and Class 12 practicals were cut to five or six experiments. Temporary centres were promised where schools lacked space, along with a special examination in June for students who missed papers because of Covid-19. Class 10 assignments and Class 12 practicals and journals were to be handled between late May and 10 June, in batches, with internal and external examiners for practicals drawn from the same college, with supplementary examinations in July and August.
April 2021: postponement, then cancellation
The concessions were never used. On 12 April Gaikwad postponed both examinations, saying the Class 12 papers would now be held by the end of May and the Class 10 papers in June, Careers360 reported. On 20 April the Class 10 examination was cancelled outright, with the minister saying the health and safety of students and teachers was the government’s top priority, Scroll.in reported.
June to August 2021: marks without papers
The Class 12 examination followed on 3 June, cancelled to safeguard students’ physical wellbeing and mental health, Gaikwad said, according to IANS. Marks for both examinations were rebuilt from school records instead. For Class 10, a government resolution of 28 May gave each subject 30 marks from written assessments during the year, 20 from oral, practical or internal work and 50 from the Class 9 final result, according to a LiveLaw report of a Bombay High Court hearing on 3 June, at which a public interest petition against the cancellation was withdrawn.
For Class 12, the formula Gaikwad announced in early July weighted Class 12 theory papers at 40 per cent, the Class 11 final examination at 30 per cent and the average of the best three Class 10 theory papers at 30 per cent, according to PTI. Each junior college was to set up a result committee of its principal and six teachers, and students unhappy with their marks could sit the board’s next examinations to improve them. Candidates under the improvement scheme would not lose an attempt because of the cancelled papers.
In the end, for SSC and HSC 2021, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education tentative schedule dates were never used for a single written paper. Class 10 results were declared on 16 July for about 16.58 lakh registered students, AglaSem reported, citing the minister. The Class 12 results came on 3 August: of 13,19,754 registered students, 13,14,965 passed, a pass rate of 99.63 per cent, Careers360 reported.
