5 minutes of readingBombayFebruary 8, 2026 11:13 pm IST
More than 15 lakh students across Maharashtra will appear for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Class 12 exam starting Tuesday, and stress levels are rising among students and their parents. Nandkumar Bedse, acting president of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE), speaks to Pallavi Smart, our reporter, about how the board is using social media to directly address students’ concerns and curb misinformation. He also discussed various measures taken to ensure smooth and copy-free examination.
Q: What is the idea behind expanding the presence of the Maharashtra State Board on social media?
Social media is an effective medium to reach out to young students, which led to increased presence on social media such as YouTube channel, Instagram account, etc. These are platforms where students are already present and our information will reach them unlike the traditional practice of them having to visit the website. Additionally, social media is much more lively and interactive than the website. With the exam so close, our experts’ videos on topics like last-minute preparation, precautions to be taken during exam time, information on punishment for various types of irregularities during exams and how to handle exam stress among everyone are receiving a great response. Additionally, the state board believes that through social media we can connect directly with students without leaving room for confusion or doubt. For example, although the state board continued to reiterate that candidates should not believe information from unverified sources; There have been cases in the past where misinformation about board exams spread online would affect students’ planning. We now urge students to follow the official social media handles of the Maharashtra State Board so that they do not fall victim to misinformation.
Q: Will the State Board continue its social media presence after the exam?
Yes, now it will be a continuous practice. While the state board is currently focusing heavily on exam-related content for various social media platforms, we plan to maintain an active online presence throughout the year. After the exams, we plan to implement study videos and tutorials along with content from subject matter experts to help students prepare for the board exams. In addition, the content related to the exam will be reviewed for the repeater exam.
Q: How many students have registered for the Maharashtra State Board exams? And how is the board facilitating them?
For HSC, as many as 15,32,862 students have registered for the exam across Maharashtra. While for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Class 10 exam, scheduled to begin on February 20, 16,14,987 students have registered so far. Apart from being prepared with all infrastructural support to ensure smooth exams, the board continues its dedicated counseling services to provide mental health support to students to cope with exam-related stress. Contact numbers of trained counselors are already declared along with dedicated helplines to resolve technical queries related to exam regulations.
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Q: What measures are in place to avoid bad practices such as copying, paper leaks, etc. during exams? Are there any new rules this year?
The Maharashtra board is taking several measures to curb cheating. In addition to continuing older initiatives, such as awareness programs carried out in schools where students are educated about the consequences of falling into bad practices; A new rule this year is to have all classrooms under CCTV surveillance. More than 85 per cent of the examination centers have all their classrooms under CCTV surveillance, while in the rest of the examination centres; It is decided to change personnel randomly to ensure transparency. Additionally, sensitive examination centers have been identified at the divisional level to ensure stricter surveillance. This is the first time that the government has formed a state-level vigilance committee to ensure better coordinated vigilance across districts.
Q: What precautions have been taken so that there are no delays in the evaluation process, considering that it depends completely on the teachers for this work?
The state board has held meetings with teachers associations to ensure their cooperation. It’s important to note that the state board has already increased the compensation paid for paper verification over last year. For a three-hour job, teachers were paid Rs 6 per job, which was increased to Rs 7, while for a 2.5-hour job, teachers were paid Rs 6 per job instead of the previous rate of Rs. 5 per paper. Furthermore, we have also proposed to increase the remuneration paid to invigilators for the examination, which is currently Rs. 30 for a three-hour job.
