Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has made a significant change in the hall tickets for Class 10 and 12 board exams. For the first time, the inclusion of a column for “caste category” in the hall tickets has surprised parents and raised questions on the need for such a decision.
The Class 12 board exams are set to begin from February 11, and the hall tickets will be distributed by junior colleges. After the caste category appeared on the hall tickets, many parents expressed confusion and sought an explanation from their respective schools and colleges.
State Board Chairman Sharad Gosavi explained the reason behind the change. “This year, we have made important changes in the hall tickets. In addition to listing the dates of the subjects instead of the subjects, we have included a column for caste category. The primary objective is to help parents identify whether the caste recorded in the school documents is accurate or not.
He further said that parents can approach the education officer and deputy director’s office with the necessary documents to correct any errors in caste. “This step ensures that students and parents can verify and correct the details before it is too late.”
In addition, the social justice department is expected to help in collecting caste-based data for the distribution of benefits under various government schemes.
While some parents see this as a useful measure to ensure the accuracy of documents, others are questioning the relevance of including caste information on hall tickets. However, the board says that the decision has been taken keeping in mind the interests of students and parents, with a focus on transparency and access to government welfare schemes.