New Covid-19 variant Omicron gives kids exam fever

Students are worried the delay would create confusion just like last year. Representation pic

The confusion in the school sector has now hit Std X and Std XII students of the Maharashtra state board who are getting impatient, as they have not yet received the exam timetable, which is ideally issued by December. With the threat of Omicron looming large, they and their parents want assurance that there won't be any last-minute confusion.

Moreover, earlier it was said that the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) board exams would be held offline, as per traditional practice, but a written communication has not been issued yet. The Maharashtra State Board has not even issued a tentative timetable. Amid the uncertainty and the threat of Omicron, worried parents are approaching schools for clarity.

A student is screened at the entry, at a school in south Mumbai. File pic

"Worried students and their parents want to know when and how the board exams will be conducted. As the syllabus is almost complete, schools are planning to hold preliminary exams in January. However, there is on clarity on the next course of action. Parents are now asking us questions, after reading about the new Coronavirus variant," said the principal of a government-aided state board school in the western suburbs.

Fear of confusion yet again

A schoolteacher said, "Most students are seeing their counterparts from non-state boards already appear for their first term exam, while they are in the dark about theirs. This is causing stress among students who fear that this academic year, just like the last one, will be full of confusion."

Pandurang Kengar, spokesperson for Mumbai School Principals Association for state boards, said, "Many schools have already conducted semester exams so that they are prepared for a condition like last year. Apart from that, schools are also in the dark. When parents approach us with questions, we have no answers. A slight roadmap from the education department would help. Generally, practical assessment for Std XII begins in January and for Std X in February. It is December already, and we still don't have a timetable."

Sharad Gosavi, chairperson of Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) was unavailable for comment. However, a senior official from the board on condition of anonymity said, "A proposed plan of state board exams has been sent to the Mantralaya for approval. The board cannot disclose anything now. The plan is to hold offline exams in traditional format, but the timetable also needs approval."