MSCE circular issued for offline exams to be held on May 23: According to media reports, the Maharashtra State Council of Examination recently issued a notification regarding the Scholarship Examinations to be conducted in offline mode on May 23, 2021. The notification issued has caused a stir among educationists in the state. The circular issued comes at a time when the state has cancelled class 10 while the class 12 exams have been postponed until further notice.
The scholarship exams are conducted by the MSCE for the students of class 5 and 8. The exams were earlier scheduled to be conducted on April 25, 2021, but were postponed to May 23, 2021, due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in the state.
Circular raises concerns
The circular released by the MSCE on May 5, 2021, however, has caused concerns for the teachers, principals and the school managements as it has laid down the rules to conduct the offline scholarship examinations on May 23, 2021. The notification also provided details on the appointment of the exam centre in charge, invigilators and peons. The circular also states that the sealed exam papers will be reaching the centres by May 15, 2021.
Maharashtra Education Commissioner Vishal Solanki also agrees that it is not advisable to conduct the examination in the state and the relevant authorities will be instructed regarding the same. Tukaram Supe, Commissioner, MSCE has stated that the concerns have been brought to his notice and the MSCE has decided to put off the exams to another date and a notification regarding the scholarship examinations will be issued soon.
The state is under a lockdown like situation until May 15, 2021, in order to control the spread of the infection. Examinations including the national level competitive examinations like JEE Main, NEET along the state board exams have been cancelled considering the safety of the students.