Trouble for city schools failing Class 9 students

Taking note of high failure rates among Class 9 students, the state education department, on Tuesday, said it would collect data on pass percentages of Class 8, 9 and 10 from schools.

Taking note of high failure rates among Class 9 students, the state education department, on Tuesday, said it would collect data on pass percentages of Class 8, 9 and 10 from schools.

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The move follows a complaint filed against Antonio De Souza High School in Byculla, which has allegedly failed more than 150 of 300 Class 9 students

this year. The Archdiocese Board of Education, which governs the school, will ask its 74 schools for their Class 9 pass percentages.

City education department officials said schools could be failing students in Class 9 to get a good Class 10 result. The Right to Education Act states that no student can be failed till Class 8. "We will question schools with good results in Class 10 and a high failure rate in Class 9," said PR Pawar, education inspector, west zone.

Data obtained from the department reveals that many schools that failed students in Class 9 got good results in the board exams.

Last year, St Xavier's High School, Vile Parle, failed 41 of 275 students in Class 9 and had a pass percentage of 95.13 % in Class 10. This year, it has failed 47 students of a batch of 290 in Class 9.