HSC exams: 236 set for life’s test too

Of the 14.9 lakh students across the state, 236, including 62 from Mumbai division, have registered as transgender in online forms

MUMBAI: Of the 14.9 lakh students from the state who will appear for their Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams that begin today, 236 have officially registered as transgender.

The board had introduced the option to choose a third gender in the online forms from this year.

Mumbai division, which also includes Thane, Raigad and Palghar, has more than 3,35,000 students registered for the exam. This includes 62 students who have registered as transgender.

“We have not verified the details of these students because one does not need any documents to mark the third gender,” said Sharad Khandagale, secretary, Mumbai divisional board.

The first paper — English — would begin at 11am today. Several students had queued up outside the board’s office on Wednesday requesting a change in centre.

“Students want to change their centre owing to genuine reasons such as an injury or a medical condition. We are trying to consider all these requests to ensure that students have no difficulty in writing their papers,” he said.

The board has reiterated that latecomers will not be allowed to enter the exam hall and will be barred from writing their examination.

“The centre can allow students to come in by 11.10am for the 11am session for a genuine reason. All those coming in between 11.10am and 11.20am will have to get the divisional board’s approval to appear for the exam,” said Khandagale.

Twenty flying squads of the divisional board and over five squads at the district level will monitor the exams centres every

day. Centres will have to distribute papers only in packets of 25 papers in a bundle. “

If there is space crunch, they can have up to fifty students and

make two bunches of papers. Two students on a seat are, however, not allowed.”

In order to help students cope with exam stress and last-minute queries, the Mumbai divisional board has released a list of helplines where counsellors would attend to students’ queries from 9am to 7pm every day.