Exam centres for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) exams have more than doubled in the Mumbai division of the Maharashtra State Board this year. This has led to an increased need for manpower to conduct exams successfully. The state board is now roping in staff from primary sections of schools for state board exams.
For SSC alone, the number of centres has increased from 608 in 2020 to 1,288 in 2022. For the HSC exams, the number went up to 3,562 in 2022 from 1,024 in 2020.
This increase can be attributed to the new policy, ‘your school, your exam centre’, which leads to almost all schools and junior colleges with students appearing for the board exams functioning as exam centres this year. The policy is one of several student-friendly measures taken this year, considering the high stress levels around board exams, to ensure that students are comfortable with the offline format. The board believes that students and parents are well aware of all Covid protocols followed in their respective schools and junior colleges.
Subhash Borse, Secretary of the Mumbai Division of the Maharashtra State Board, said, “With the increase in the number of exam centres this year, the need for manpower has increased by at least 25 per cent. We have approached civic and Zilla Parishad administrations falling under Mumbai division’s jurisdiction to rope in teaching and non-teaching staff from primary sections for the board exams this year. We need manpower not only for supervision and custody of question-papers but also for tasks such as runners who take question-papers from the main exam centre to all others in each zone.”
Mumbai division covers regions such as Mumbai city and suburbs, Palghar, Raigad, Thane and Navi Mumbai.
“Required staff should be free at the time of exams for the tasks related to board exams,” added a state board official.