Days after keeping parents and students guessing over the marking scheme for the cancelled Secondary School Certificate (SSC) geography exam, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) on Wednesday announced its decision in support of giving average marks for the subject. The board stated that the marks would be given based on average marks received in other subjects of the examination, which would then be suitably converted for the cancelled exam. The SSC examination this year was scheduled to be held from March 3 to 23. The geography exam could not be conducted due to Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown. Skill education exam for specially-abled students also had to be cancelled. For this exam too, the board announced that marks would be given based on average marks received in other subjects along with oral and internal exams. Read | Students can appear for CBSE board exams from city they are in: HRD Minister Most parents and educators were of the opinion that the state board should not consider the marks of the geography paper at all, and instead evaluate students for exams that have been conducted. However, state board Secretary Ashok Bhosale said, “This is in line with usual practice followed by the board. Geography is part of the social sciences subject, for which history exam had already been conducted. The board decided to mark students based on natural performance for other subjects.” Mumbai Principals’ Association secretary Prashant Redij said the board’s decision was unexpected. “This decision may benefit those who find geography difficult, while it may come as a loss for those who excel in the subject. The decision seems unjust,” he said, adding that the evaluation should have been done according to total marks of 560, for subjects whose exams had already been conducted, instead of bringing the total to 600. While the board has not yet announced the date for declaration of results, the assessment of answer sheets has begun, officials said.
