The coronavirus cases are on a rise in Maharashtra again and the state’s education board has stated that the examinations of Class 10 and Class 12 will be conducted in offline mode.

Varsha Gaikwad, the state’s School Education Minister, made the announcement on Saturday, 20 March. The class 10 exam will be held between 29 April and 20 May. The Class 12 exams are scheduled to begin on 23 April. The last exam will take place on 21 May.

“The schools of the students will be their exam centres. Apart from the regular three-hour period of the exam, they will get an extra half an hour to attempt the questions,” Varsha told PTI. Also, physically disabled students will get 20 minutes extra per hour.

While the dates had already been declared by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) last month, the practicals will be conducted after the written exams are over, added Gaikwad.

Students will be asked to complete only a limited number of assignments at home, which can be submitted between 21 May and 10 June.

A total of 16 lakh students will sit for Class 12 exams while 13 lakh for Class 10.

Gaikwad also informed that if any student fails to appear for a particular written paper or multiple papers due to COVID-19 or because any member of the family is infected or due to lockdown at the local level, then he or she will get a grace period of 15 days to give the test, the minister said, according to PTI.

“I have requested the public health ministry to vaccinate all the teachers and school staff on priority who will be involved in the conduct of the exams,” she said.

A request has been made to the state chief secretary for running suburban trains in Mumbai as per the timing of the exams and allow students to board the locals on the basis of their hall tickets, she said.

“A decision will be taken over it in the next few days,” she added.

The exams for the students who either fail or plan to upgrade their grades will be held in July and August as conducted annually, Gaikwad said.

“The supplementary exam will be held at limited centres in urban areas and at each tehsil place in rural areas. The exam centres will be declared later for the same,” she said.

Due to the pandemic, the schedule of board exams got delayed this year. Otherwise, the examinations usually take place in February and March.

With inputs from PTI

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