No decision on fate of CBSE Class 10 school exam takers in Maharashtra

The state government and CBSE officials on Tuesday did not reach a final decision on the fate of Class 10 students who did not take the CBSE board exam this year but wished to join junior colleges. The CBSE chairman, Vineet Joshi, came from Delhi to meet principal secretary of the school education department, Sumit Mullick, on Tuesday to clarify the board’s stand on whether the CBSE school final exam and the board exam can be treated at par.

The state government had earlier decided that CBSE students, who did not take the Class 10 board exam this year, would secure only provisional admission to junior colleges once the online procedure is completed. “It was a very positive meeting,” said Joshi, who refused to divulge details on the matters discussed in the two-hour meeting.

Officials in the education department said that no concrete decision was taken at the meeting. The debate hinges on whether the CBSE school final exam, where schoolteachers corrected their students’ answer sheets, is equivalent to the board exam, where external examiners assessed students.

This was the first year that Class 10 CBSE students had the option to take a board exam or the school final exam. In Maharashtra, 5,680 CBSE students appeared for the school final exam while 15,969 took the board exam. Since CBSE students, who did not take the board exam can only apply to junior colleges after the online procedure is completed they are unlikely to secure seats in coveted colleges and courses.

School principals were not convinced with the prospect of assuring only provisional seats to the students, who took the school exam. “While introducing the school-based exam this year, students were promised that they will be considered equal to the ones who took the board exam. It is very unfair to give them only temporary relief by promising them a provisional seat,” said PC Chabbra, principal, Delhi Public School (DPS), Nerul.

In circulars issued in the past year, the CBSE had recommended that students planning to leave the board should take the board exam. However, in its most recent letter to the state education department, the CBSE requested that school exam takers and board exam takers be treated on par.