HSC students are in a tizzy

Students appearing for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) board examinations starting from Thursday are in a state of panic, after over 75,000 teachers have announced a non-cooperation movement, saying they will not participate in any work involved in the examination process. However, teachers have clarified they will not boycott the examinations but will not cooperate with other exam-related work like assessment, unless their demands are fulfilled by the state.

Alarmed students appearing for Class 12 board examinations claimed that teachers should consider the plight of students. Teachers play an important role in conducting examinations, right from distributing question papers, invigilation and managing answer scripts, students said. Sanjana Verma, a student, said, “Teachers should not create any problems at this crucial time. We understand teachers are fighting for a cause but why should they bring it up two days before the board examinations.”

Over 100 calls have been made to the helpline number of the state board. Students say they are already stressed preparing for competitive tests like JEE and NEET for engineering and medical courses.

Dhiraj Vasudevan, a student said, “We have to mug up the syllabus for competitive tests as well as score well in HSC. In the middle of all this, we learn that teachers are not going to cooperate in the examination process. It just adds to our stress. What will we do if we need help from our teachers on last-minute queries?”

Teachers of the Maharashtra Federation of Junior College Teachers Organisation (MFJCTO) claimed their demands like payment of salaries, financial aid and filling of vacant posts in junior colleges have not been addressed. Anil Deshmukh, General Secretary of MFJCTO, said, “We were promised on January 31 that our demands would be fulfilled within 10 days. But till now, there has been no response from the state. We will help students in every way during examinations but we will not cooperate with the state government.”

Teachers of MFJCTO will meet Vinod Tawde, state education minister of school and higher secondary education, on Wednesday and take a final decision.