Need wider gap between two board papers, demand parents and teachers

School education minister Varsha Gaikwad with representatives of parents and teachers’ bodies on Thursday

There should be a wider gap between two Board papers, particularly between physics and chemistry and mathematics. The state should provide students with a bank of important questions. If practical and oral evaluation is not possible before the written exam, it should be held later without collecting any extra fee from the students.

These are among a host of suggestions put up by parents and teachers' bodies when they met school education minister Varsha Gaikwad on Thursday. She assured them that the Maharashtra State board would consider the suggestions while creating SOPs for the SSC and HSC exams.

The assurance comes as a positive development amid reports of students and their parents feeling stressed, due to surging COVID infections, about the offline exams scheduled to be conducted in April and May. Many parents have also said that students are not prepared because of just online learning.

Several surveys in past few months, too, have pointed to the rising stress level and unpreparedness of students.

"I had a meeting with parents and teachers' representatives and we have agreed to work together to ensure a safe avenue to conduct HSC/SSC examinations in offline mode. We welcomed the insightful suggestions by the participants of the meeting. The safety and security of our students is of prime importance but so is their future. We will leave no stone unturned to conduct a safe and stress-free exam," tweeted Gaikwad after the meeting.

The associations have suggested that if any student or school misses practical or oral assessment due to containment measures or lockdown, it should be held later at no extra cost to the students.

The parents' bodies also requested that the duration of study videos telecast on Sahyadri channel be increased and the students be given question banks. Gaikwad said, "All suggestions will be forwarded to the State Board to incorporate in SOPs for board exams."

Anubha Shrivastava from India Wide Parents Association, who was part of the meeting, said, "It was a very positive interaction with the minister and other state Board officials. This really was important in current times of stress as Board exams are fast approaching."