Cancel retest for Class 9, 11 students: Parents to state

MUMBAI: Parents of several students who failed to clear their Class 9 and 11 exams urged the state education department to cancel the mandatory re-exams and instead promote students to the next class.

On Friday, a group of parents from the city wrote to the state, threatening to stage a hunger strike on July 21 if their children are not promoted.

“We understand that our children have to take a re-exam to be promoted. But an exam can’t be conducted anytime soon in the current situation, and so it is better to promote them. Students are currently awaiting a decision by the state amid anxiety and uncertainty, even as they started attending online teaching sessions for Class 10 or 12,” said a parent of a student at a Dadarbased school.

Education commissioner Vishal Solanki said a decision on the issue will be taken soon. “The Maharashtra State Council of Educational Research and Training will be submitting a proposal to the government soon,” he said.

Earlier, the education department cancelled the exams for Class 1 to 8 in the wake of the Covid-19

outbreak and the ensuing lockdown, after which schools promoted the students on the basis of internal assessments. However, for Class 9 and 11, re-exam is mandatory for students who failed, to be promoted to Class 10 and 12. But owing to the lockdown, schools could not conduct these exams until now. Meanwhile, the state allowed these students to attend classes for the next year.

Rajendra Ahire, deputy director of Mumbai region, said schools can conduct online