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Checks on malpractices hit Gujarat schools’ pass percentage
The results of Gujarat Class 10 exams, which had remained above 70% for past several years, decreased sharply from 73.86% in 2014-15 to 63.20%” this year and it is “an area of concern”.
The recent exam scam in Bihar may have exposed the underbelly in the state’s education system, but the practice of copying seems to be rampant in Gujarat as well. Or so it seems from the Gujarat government’s candid admission that installation of CCTV cameras at examination centres has brought the pass percentage down in schools.
The Union human resource development ministry flagged the slide at a meeting in February, saying the “pass percentage of class 10 has decreased sharply from 73.86% in 2014-15 to 63.20%” this year and it is “an area of concern”.
The state government attributed the slip to effective checks on cheating such as CCTV cameras at exam centres. Besides, the state board has changed the exam pattern incorporating tougher questions that adversely affected the results. “The CCTV surveillance system has affected the board results up to some extent in the past two years. And it has sent a strong message to students and parents that studying hard is the only alternative to clear the exams now,” said state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma.
Bihar came into spotlight after the media reported that many Class 12 toppers alleged cheated their way to the top this year. One of the toppers, Ruby Rai, who scored 444 out of 500 marks, told a television channel that political science was all about cooking. But, it’s not just Bihar. Copying and whether to put a strict curb on it has been a political issue in Uttar Pradesh for long. In 1992, the then BJP government in the state enacted an anti-copying act making it a cognizable offence. The BJP had to pay a political price later. Mulayam Singh Yadav government repealed it two years later. This year, the Punjab School Examination Board arbitrarily gave 30 grace marks that helped the pass percentage jump by 22% across all streams.
Read: Why Ruby Rai’s arrest will not stop the rot in India’s education system
What may worry the Gujarat government is not just the fact that copying in examinations is rampant in the state. The state has also witnessed a slight dip in school enrolment as also an increase in the school dropout rate.
The state told the Centre that no new government secondary school was opened after 2012-13. “There is a need for new secondary schools this year in uncovered areas and those will provide enhanced access and bring a desired increase in enrolment,” said a note from the state government. The HRD ministry was not convinced by the state’s argument though. The ministry pointed out that enrolment in six government and 17 government-aided schools has been nil.
The state representative said these schools are in urban areas where parents prefer to send their children to private institutions. In a meeting held on February 19 this year for approval of annual work plan and budget 2016-17 under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, the secretary school education and literacy pointed this out and asked the state government to look into the issues raised.
