<span style="color: #222222;">Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad announced the dates of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations at a press conference in Mumbai today.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Minister informed that the written examination for class X will be held from April 29 to May 31,2021 and the results will be announced in the last week of August. Similarly, the written examination for class XII will be conducted from April 23 to May 29, 2021 and the results will be declared in the last week of July. Gaikwad said all the exams will be conducted in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">AIR Correspondent reports, the Maharashtra State board examinations are usually held in the months of February and March for both SSC and HSC. However, this year the examination schedule got postponed because of the COVID-19 situation in the country. Offline classes for students from Class 9 to 12 had already started in the State on November 23, 2020. Besides, to ease the academic burden on students, the State government has also announced 25 per cent reduction in the overall syllabus for the exam. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Responding to a query, State Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said students' attendance has gradually improved in the schools adding that around 38 per cent of students were attending classes in schools, as on January 18, 2021.</span><br />''