This year, a 43-year-old man from Pune and his son both took the Maharashtra board examinations for Class 10, but the results left the family with mixed emotions, as the father passed but the boy failed. On Friday, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education released the results of the annual Class 10 exams.
Bhaskar Waghmare, who had to drop out of school after Class 7 to support his family, was eager to return to school. He sat for the tests this year with his son, after a 30-year absence.
“I always wanted to study more, but could not do so earlier because of family responsibilities and to earn to sustain our livelihood," Waghmare, a resident of Babasaheb Ambedkar Dias Plot in Pune city who is into a private job.
"Since sometime, I was keen on resuming studies and doing some courses which would help me in earning more. Hence, I had decided to appear for the Class 10 exams. My son was also appearing for the exams this year, and this helped me," he said. Waghmare said he used to study every day and prepare for the exams after his work. Though he is now happy to have cleared the exams, he is sad that his son failed two papers. "I will support my son in taking up the supplementary exams (conducted for students who have failed in some subjects) and I am hopeful he will clear them,” he said. His son Sahil also had mixed feelings.
"I am happy that my father did what he always wanted to do. But, I will also not give up. I will prepare for the supplementary exams and try to clear the papers,” he added.
The overall pass percentage this year was 96.94 percent, according to the statistics released on Friday. The Konkan division had the highest pass rate of 99.27 percent, while the Nashik division had the lowest at 95.90 percent. This year, students taking the exam were given an extra 30 minutes to complete the papers, and their own schools were allowed to serve as exam centres for their convenience. The tests were cancelled last year (2020-21) because to an increase of COVID-19 cases, and the results were calculated using the scores gained in the Class 9 exam and internal Class 10 assessments. For 2020-21, the pass rate was 99.95 percent.
