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Last year, there were around 30,000 HSC students aspiring to join engineering colleges who opted for bifocal courses (technical electives such as computer science/electronics/ motor servicing) so as to get a high score for their Class 12 public exams. This academic year, the number has grown to 50,750. Taking into cognisance the trend of an increasing number of students taking the bifocal option, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has called a meeting in Pune of junior college principals and teacher representatives across the state on Thursday.
They are expected to take a call on the advisability of continuing with this option with reduced marks or co-opting biology or a language into the scheme of things. The move is said to have come with an eye on protecting hundreds of teachers from biology and language streams as otherwise they face the threat of becoming surplus. A circular was sent to the directorate of vocational education, principals and teachers’ representatives of junior colleges on Tuesday, apprising them of the meeting.
Topics covered in the bifocal subjects in class 11 and 12 provide foundation for the first year engineering syllabus and thus engineering aspirants go for bifocal subjects instead of taking biology or an additional language subject besides English, which is a compulsory subject. The circular, issued last week, says the state government had decided to reduce the marks allotted for bifocal subjects from 200 to 100; the meeting would consider ways and means of implementing the decision. As per the circular, the government had taken the decision in September. However, the stakeholders concerned with the matter, including officers of Directorate of Vocational Education, are ignorant about it. “It came as a surprise to us,” said an officer.
When contacted, SP College principal DN Sheth, who was also chairman of the recently-held centralised admission process of class 11, confirmed that the action plan about implementation of the decision would be discussed at the meeting.
According to sources, the move by the state government has come up against the backdrop of strong representation of biology teachers. As the demand for bifocal subjects is growing, there is a sharp decrease in students opting for biology. If the bifocal subjects are squeezed in 100 marks instead of 200, students will have to opt for either biology or a language to make up for the remaining 100 marks. That means students will also lose the opportunity to score in HSC exams. MSBSHSE chairperson Vijaysheela Sardesai confirmed that such a meeting has been called but downplayed the issue, saying it will be a routine meeting.
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