The education department has asked schools in Maharashtra to conduct an oral examination for those students who failed in class IX and XI either on the premises or through video conferencing to give them a second chance. Putting an end tot he certainty which was prevalent over the conduct of exams for class IX and XI students and the schools now have time till 7 August to conduct this re-examination.
In the usual scenario and normal times, those students who couldn’t pas class IX exams can retake the examination soon after the results are announced. They are promoted to class X if they perform well chance of not losing a precious year. But this year due to unprecedented situations the schools were only operating online due to and due to this, the re-exams were put on hold. This was worrying to both parents and students.
Varsha Gaikwad, school education minister, tweeted the government on Wednesday to give students the second chance. The department said that in a government resolution that considering the COVID-19 situation in states and schools, the schools should conduct an oral re-exam by calling students either on the premises or through video conferencing by August 7. Those students who pass in this oral re-exam can be promoted to the next class.
It was demanded that students should be promoted to the next class without re-examination by the teachers and the students over the past few weeks.
Shivnath Darade, a member of Shikshak Parishad said that when the government isn’t even keen on conducting exams for the degree colleges then why is it even insisting on class IX and XI students appear for the exams. He suggested that the students be passed and promoted regardless of their performance this year and if necessary they can be asked to submit written assignments instead of the oral exams.
A teacher from Hansraj Morarji Public school, Mr. Uday Narwe said that the format of oral and written assessments is very different and students have only 20% orals in each subject currently. He said that promoting them on the basis or orals would not be right.
He further added that the students are already studying the next class syllabus since June due to the prevalent uncertainty and now that sending them back to the previous class if in case they don’t pass would be very unfair.
