Mumbai : The school students' verification examination has become a contentious issue as the Maharashtra Education Department has come under fire. Teachers and school managements are opposing the sudden introduction of extra testing to verify students.
A serious controversy has been sparked in the Maharashtra Education Department following the announcement of the student verification exam. Students enrolled in schools across the state are now required to sit for a special examination to check their physical presence in schools and the veracity of their school registration, with the Education Department stating this is being done so that school student data available on the "Saral" portal matches actual numbers and grant/resources given to the schools aren't misused.
The Maharashtra Education Department's decision has drawn the ire of teachers and managements in various districts of Maharashtra including Nagpur. "The decision has been announced suddenly and we feel that adding a verification test on a later date in an academic year disturbs the rhythm of the school and causes unnecessary strain on the students and school staff. This itself is proof that the department does not have faith in the internal assessments of the school" stated a senior teacher. Teachers are of the opinion that it would be simpler to use existing attendance records, inspection records to verify the students.
In addition to this the timing of the examination is one of the factors for the discontent. "It is a matter of when schools finish their syllabus and sit for exams in the schools, and such exams would mean changing the entire schedule and making younger children sit for such tests under stressful circumstances. This testing of each and every child is ridiculous, questions were even raised over the validity of using one single test to establish the existence and registration of a child. Legal experts too felt that the department would face challenges" informed another teacher.
To counter the opposition, an Education Department official claimed "Ghost students are the main reason why we have problems with schools. These students take up places, but are not present. The amount being siphoned from the state government by fake entries is massive. Thus, in order to put a stop to this and provide mid day meals and uniforms and school resources to actual students the department had to put such tests in place".
The teachers' unions have stated that they may boycott the verification tests if the Education Department does not look into the issue and make necessary changes, preferably in collaborative manner and without the introduction of extra exams for the students.
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