Maharashtra issues counselling timetable for Class 10 students

[related-post]

The work begins from November 2015 when Institute of Vocational Guidance and Selection has to decide the parameters for psychological counseling after which the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) will prepare the online apparatus for conducting these tests by December.

By January, district-level counsellors would be given counselling material and in every school, teachers who are trained in computers or conducted business-oriented education would be trained.

The actual exams would be conducted by MSBSHSE between orals and practical exams in February and while results would be available online in May, hard copies would be given by June with mark sheets.

“Since duties are divided between related departments, we should be able to meet the deadline,” said Gangadhar Mhamane, Chairman, MSBSHSE.
However, experts in the field of aptitude testing say meeting the deadline is not the only criteria and it is a complex process involving many factors.
“The CBSE board already does this and it is a welcome decision if the state board takes counselling as it really helps in making informed decisions. However, merely generating an online report isn’t enough; students and their parents need to be counselled properly and we don’t know if they have the manpower to do for the lakhs of students across the state. It is for the same reason that our students are counselled in-house and don’t take counselling of CBSE board. Also, given the sheer magnitude of work and little time, I wonder how they will manage in this academic year itself,” said Milind Naik, Principal of Jnana Prabhodini School.
Vivek Velankar, an independent career counsellor, agreed that the announcement was made hurriedly.

“They will give results of counselling with mark sheets in June, by when it’s useless as most decisions are taken and admissions have begun. They have decided to train teachers for counselling but it is a highly specialised job and one wrong advice can be very harmful. I feel this decision is welcome since in private sector, it takes anything from Rs 100 to Rs 1,500 for a test which all students cannot afford but it needs more time,” he said.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of problems in the first year, the state has given a timetable for the next year as well stating that by December 2016, Maharashtra State Council for Education Research and Training has to take review of the previous year’s counselling sessions and resolve all the problems encountered.