SSC board receives 676 applications for re-evaluation through RTI Act

The Pune divisional education board has received 676 applications for photocopies of answer sheets from around 486 SSC students through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Yesterday was the last day for students to apply for re-evaluation through the RTI Act and the results after re-evaluation will be declared after the admission process is over, which will be after July 2. Students could file applications for one paper, while the maximum applications allowed was for three papers.

After the Supreme Court ruled last year that students could obtain copies of their answer sheets under the act, it was ruled that if the board finds fault in the marking process of a paper, which a student has submitted for re-evaluation, the examiner and moderator of that paper will be held responsible for the error.

"We were expecting a large number of such applications from students who are not satisfied with their marks. For HSC, those who had applied for photocopies of their answer sheets through RTI were satisfied with the assessment, as we did not receive any complaints," said Anil Gunjan, secretary of divisional board SSC.

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) received about 1,560 applications from SSC students from other cities, besides Pune, through the RTI for photocopies of answer sheets.

For HSC, 2,303 students have applied for 5,547 photocopies. The officials said that students can get a copy of their answer sheets, but cannot apply for re-evaluation as the board allows only one of the two options. The board has not released the re-evaluation results for all students, as it had to finish the admission procedure for junior college students.

In the past, the state board did not entertain RTI applications from students wishing to see their re-evaluated papers, but will now have to do so in accordance with an August 2011 SC ruling.

"Students have every right to know where they went wrong and how they were marked. But we were busy with the admission procedure. The first merit list is being declared early this year. We can't wait for all the students to complete their re-evaluation procedure, or else classes will not start on time," said Sarjerao Jadhav, chairman, MSBSHSE.u00a0