City schools are livid because of the change in the formula for calculating pass percentage for SSC board exam. In a letter to the schools in the city, Nagpur’s deputy director of education (DDE), Anil Pardhi wrote that from now on the total number of students in Std IX will be considered as the base figure rather than the earlier practice of taking into account the total number of students in Std X.
School principals expressed shock over this decision saying it accuses them of indulging in malpractice. A school principal said, “The letter says we are deliberately failing some students in Std IX to ensure that our Std X batch comprises of academically strong students, thus guaranteeing a 100% pass result. No school fails their students on purpose, that’s a wild and serious allegation. Why would I spoil the academic career of my students? Would I not be happy getting maximum number of students to pass?”
But schools did not deny the fact that students are offered a fabricated pass Transfer Certificate (TC) in Std IX as an ‘honourable’ exit, rather than being detained. These students can then appear as private candidates for the board exam without wasting a year.
Another principal said that the dynamics of private aided schools make it an easy target for the government. “We cannot fail students from Std I to VIII because of Right To Education (RTE) and this has made them complacent. Since our salaries come from the government, the education department feels they can arm twist us anyway they want. Even if a student is weak, he or she will not show interest in learning because it’s common knowledge that nobody can be failed. Even parents show no interest when we tell them about the child’s deteriorating academic graph,” the principal said.
But even as such reactions arise, Pardhi has declared that the changed formula will be implemented with immediate effect, and it will now have a major impact on the way pass percentages of schools are reflected.
[SOURCE :-indiatimes]
