SSC exams: 20-mark orals to lift pressure off students from writing 100-mark papers

A total of 2,85,642 students from Pune division will appear for the Class 10 (SSC) examination being conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) that commences on Tuesday, across the state.

The exam will be conducted across 384 centres in the Pune division. A total of 17,65,898 students will be appearing for the examination at 4,979 centres across the state. This is the second year since the board has implemented a new syllabus and question paper pattern for the SSC examination.

Students would once again have to write only 80-mark papers in languages and social sciences, as 20 marks are reserved for oral (internal) exams. In 2019, the board had scrapped oral exams which brought down the scores of students significantly.

“Since there was a decline in the passing percentage last year due to the removal of the internal marks system, this year we have reversed the decision and we hope that the reintroduction of the internal marks will help students reduce the stress which they undergo while writing a 100-mark paper,” said Shakuntala Kale, chairperson, MSBSHSE.

Two years after introducing the ‘transgender’ option, a total of 110 students across the state have registered under the category. The maximum, that is 22 transgender students, have registered from Nashik division. There are 18 transgender students from Pune division, said Kale.

This year, there are 1,131 students with special needs registered for the exam in Pune. The board has granted special permissions to most of these students like allotting extra time and allowing them to have a writer, said Kale.

Kale said that several flying squads have deployed for strict vigilance. “A total of 273 flying squads have been appointed across the state in order to counter malpractices.Also, the question papers will be distributed to the centres in sealed packets of 25 question papers each. The heads at each centre have to upload the copy cases at their centres on an app, on a daily basis. This will also help prevent such practices,” she said.

The MSBSHSE has also kept March 24 and March 26 as reserve days for students who could not appear for examinations due to medical reasons.“In case any of the students are unable to answer the examinations due to unavoidable genuine reasons, they will be allowed to answer out of turn examinations on March 24 and March 26. The students are expected to enter their examination hall 30 minutes prior to the examination. The students need to take note of the same, and reach their centres accordingly. They will have to be in centres maximum by 10:30 am in the morning, and 2:30 pm in the afternoon session.” added Kale.

For any queries related to the centre, examination, each of the divisional boards has a helpline number that the students and parents can contact. In Pune division, the number is 9423047627.

The write number in place

Exam duration: March 3 to March 23

Number of flying squads in state: 273

Number of Counsellors: 10

Exam centres

Pune- 384

State- 4,979

Number of schools

Pune – 3,508

State – 22,586

Total students

Pune- 2,85,642

State- 17,65,898

Boys

Pune- 1,60,079

State- 9,75,894

Girls

Pune- 1,25,545

State- 7,89,894

Transgender

Pune – 18

State - 110

Persons with physical disability

Pune-1,131

State- 9,045

Custodian of question paper and answer sheets

Pune- 54

State- 520

Nine divisions - helpline numbers for students

Pune - 9423042627

Nagpur - (0712) 2565403 / 2553401

Aurangabad- (0240) 2334228 / 2334284/ 2331116

Mumbai - (022) 27881075/ 27893756

Kolhapur - (0231) 2696101/2696102/2696103

Amravati (0721) 2662608

Nashik - (0253) 2592141/ 2592143

Latur - (02382) 251633

Konkan - (02352) 228480