Officials worried as teachers' boycott will delay HSC results

Mumbai: The teachers of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) have decided to boycott the assessment of the answer papers, saying that the state government has failed to accept their demands. The Maharashtra board officials said that the HSC 2018 results would be affected due to the boycott called by Mumbai Junior College Teachers’ Union.

The teachers have been protesting for several years now. Teachers have made several demands such as increase of the pay scale, mandatory study leave for research purpose, the inclusion of pension scheme for those who joined post-November 1, 2005, aid for the teachers working in unaided educational institutions, etc. Many teachers who were appointed after May 2012 have not been given official ‘approval’ due to which they are still on ‘contract basis’ as a result they receive half of their salary from the government or colleges.

Currently, over three lakh students are appearing for the ongoing HSC examinations in over 583 centres in the Mumbai division which comprises of Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad district. Initially, the teachers had decided to only boycott the practical examination of the HSC students after they did not receive any reply from the government they decided to boycott the paper assessment as well. “HSC examination is a crucial stage for any student as it is the main door for their academic life. However, it has been years now that we (teachers) are suffering so this time we have firmly decided to not assess examination papers if our demands are not fulfilled,” said Sadhana Gori, a teacher from a Dahisar-based junior college.

An official from the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) on the condition of anonymity told this newspaper that results will be delayed if the issues of the teachers are not resolved in a week.