Keypoints:
- Every student will be promoted based on their performance in class 9th and 10th through internal assessment.
- Common Entrance Test (CET) would be conducted for junior college admissions, which will be optional.
- The students who clear CET will get priority for admissions. Remaining seats will be used for students who were cleared by the state board in the evaluation process.
- There are around 1.6 million SSC students across the state.
On Friday, School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad announced the evaluation criteria for class 10th students for promoting them and making them eligible for junior college admissions. Every student will be promoted based on their performance in class 9th and 10th through internal assessment. Common Entrance Test (CET) would be conducted for junior college admissions, which will be optional. The students who clear CET will get priority for admissions. Remaining seats will be used for students who were cleared by the state board in the evaluation process.
On Thursday, this decision was taken in a meeting with CM Uddhav Thackeray along with Gaikwad and state officials.
Owing to the Covid case surge in Maharashtra, class 10th state board exams were cancelled. The state still has around 3 lakh active Covid cases. Around 10 to 15 districts are also facing rapid growth in cases.
The state government has decided not to change its decision of cancelling class 10th board exams despite the Bombay High Court objecting to it. It said that the government was making a mockery of the education system.
“All students eligible to appear for Class 10 board examinations will be promoted. Their marks will be determined based on an internal assessment of their performance in Class 9 and 10 both. Of the total 100 marks, 50% marks will be based on performance in final year examinations of Class 9 and the rest of the marks have been divided into two categories: 30 marks will be given based on the performance in written examinations for the entire year in Class 10 and the rest 20 marks will be given based on their performance in the oral examination, practicals and homework,” Gaikwad said.
Gaikwad told reporters that, “The state will also conduct CET for junior college admissions, which will be completely optional but it has its advantage. Those who clear the CET will get priority in junior college admissions. The rest of the seats will be used for the students who were cleared by the state board based on the evaluation process.”
CET will be a two hour long examination based on class 10 syllabus and it will also be optical mark registration (OMR) based on having multiple choices and the students will have to select the correct answer, she said.
Gaikwad added that students from other boards will also be allowed to appear for CET.
Of the total 100 marks, 80% marks will be based on their performance in the Class passed by them and the rest 20 marks will be given based on their performance in the oral examination, practicals and homework in Class 10, according to a government resolution issued by the school education department on May 28.
Gaikwad said that examinations will be conducted for class 10th students who are NOT satisfied with the evaluation process but the exams will take place once the Covid situation comes to normal.
