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Checks on malpractices hit Gujarat schools’ pass percentage
NEW DELHI: 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
NEW DELHI: 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.
In an official note to the Union ministry of human resource development, the state government said “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 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 TV channel that political science was all about cooking.
But Bihar is not the only state dealing with the crisis. 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 Mulayam Singh Yadav government repealed it two years later.
What may worry the Gujarat government is that the state has also witnessed a slight dip in school enrolment as also an increase in the school drop out rate.
The state told the Centre that no new government secondary school was opened after 201213. “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.
