Mumbai, March 13: The examination process of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has come under scrutiny after a video surfaced allegedly showing Class 6 students assist in the evaluation of Class 10 board exam answer sheets at a private school in Vidani village of Phaltan taluka in Satara district. Taking cognisance of the video, the Kolhapur division of the MSBSHSE, which oversees the Satara district, has decided to send a team of officials to Phaltan to conduct an inquiry.

The controversy surfaced when footage began circulating on social media showing young students sitting in a classroom, marking Class 10 answer sheets with red pens while referring to an official answer key. Under standard board protocols, answer sheets are supposed to be evaluated only by qualified teachers in a secure, supervised environment. The discovery that 11-year-olds were handling the academic futures of over 1.6 million SSC candidates has raised serious questions about the oversight mechanisms currently in place at the divisional level. Marathi Language Now Mandatory in Schools Across Maharashtra, Minister Dadaji Bhuse Warns of Strict Action Against Violators.

Class 6 Students Found Checking Maharashtra SSC Marathi Answer Sheets, Probe Launched

The video, reportedly filmed by a concerned local resident, captures students in an informal setting grading the Marathi language papers. Following the clip's rapid spread, the Kolhapur Divisional Board moved to seize the papers and verify their authenticity. Preliminary checks confirmed that the documents were indeed official SSC answer sheets assigned to a specific examination center for evaluation.

"This is a grave violation of the board’s confidential evaluation process," said a senior official from the MSBSHSE. The board has already suspended the chief moderator and the center head involved, pending the results of a detailed forensic and administrative audit of the evaluators' logbooks. Maharashtra HSC Board Exam Tragedy: Class 12 Student Dies After Falling From Local Train on Way to Exam Centre in Kalwa.

Teachers and Moderators Under the Scanner

In the Maharashtra board system, "moderators" are responsible for distributing bundles of answer sheets to "examiners" (qualified teachers), who are then required to grade them personally. Investigators believe a teacher may have outsourced their grading duties to the younger students to meet tight submission deadlines.

Educational activists have pointed out that such incidents highlight the immense pressure on teachers during the board season, though they emphasized that nothing justifies compromising the students' hard work. "The board must ensure that the students whose papers were checked by these children do not suffer due to this negligence," said an activist from the Maharashtra Rajya Shikshak Parishad.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 13, 2026 07:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).