Maharashtra education board proposes lower passing marks for science and maths

The State Education Board of Maharashtra has presented a suggestion of reducing the minimum passing marks in Maths and Science from the present 35 out of 100 to 20 out100 as a part of its new curriculum framework. The suggestion comes ahead of Maharashtra Assembly Elections.

The proposal is to bring some relief to students who find the subject challenging. However there is important caveat , those who achieve the minimum passing marks will receive a ‘ passed’ designation on the marksheet , but also an note which clarifies that they are not eligible got pursuing further studies in maths or science.

Officials have stated, the reduction in passing marks is still in the proposal stage .It will be confirmed once the rollout of the State Curriculum Framework School Education (SCF-SE) nears completion, which is expected to take several years.

Sharad Gosavi, chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, highlighted that the changes will be implemented when the new curriculum is adopted statewide.

As per Rahul Rekhawar , director of the State council of Educational Research and Training  (SCERT) , the change is part of the new curriculum framework which has already been approved by the school education department. Its goal is to protect students from failing the class 10 due to difficulties in maths and Science.   “The change is designed to ensure students are not unfairly pushed out of the system,” Rekhawar stated. He added that students can still opt to take supplementary exams and the regular exam the following year to pass these subjects and obtain a new mark sheet. “This is simply an additional feature we are incorporating into the existing system,” he explained.

The proposal has been received positively by the educators and school teachers alike, who believe the longstanding anxiety surrounding mathematics has significantly impacted students causing stress