Pune: Maharashtra State Board Revises Policy On Exam Center Staff Appointments

Pune, 30th January 2025: In an effort to curb malpractices during Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has revised its earlier directive regarding the appointment of examination staff. Initially, the board had mandated that center directors, supervisors, and other examination-related personnel be assigned from secondary and higher secondary schools other than the respective exam centers. However, following opposition from teachers’ associations, this decision has now been modified.

Under the revised policy, external teachers and staff will now only be appointed at examination centers where cases of irregularities were reported in the past five years, excluding the COVID-19 period.

Previously, the board’s directive applied to all schools with examination centers, leading to strong objections from teachers’ associations, which argued that it implied a lack of trust in educators. Several associations even threatened a non-cooperation movement during the upcoming board exams if the order was not withdrawn. Responding to these concerns, the State Board has partially amended its decision.

Now, external teachers and staff will only be assigned as center directors, supervisors, and exam personnel at centers that were found to have irregularities in the February-March board exams of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, and 2024. Schools with no history of such violations will continue to manage their own exam centers.

Maharashtra State Board Secretary Devidas Kulal stated that if any examination center is found guilty of irregularities during the February-March 2025 exams, its accreditation as an exam center will be permanently revoked from the following year.