Maharashtra State Board to label answer sheets of students with special needs

After the recent Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016, the Maharashtra State Board has initiated to help more and more students with special needs that are appearing for the upcoming board examination for Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC).

Apart from giving the students the extra time and allotting more writers to students, the board this year onwards will also put a sticker on the answer sheets of the students with special needs to help them get concessions. The decision of tagging answer sheets came after the implementation of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. This year for HSC board exam has 1855 students appearing for the exam under special needs category, which is more than the last years number, that was 1012.

The Mumbai divisional board office has been receiving several requests from students with special needs requesting an exam centre near the residence or up to a writer's, extra time and computer facility to write the board exam. The HSC exam is to begin from February 21 this year.

Sharad Khandagale, secretary of Mumbai Divisional Board, said, "We have received many requests from students with special needs to get Board exam centres near their house. Some asked for writers and some for extra time which we are giving after verifying their certificates. We are trying to make more arrangements as much as we can for children with special needs. The schools need to identify such students with special needs and send us the request for them."