Bhubaneswar: With the pass out percentage in the Plus-2 Science stream hitting nearly a decade low of 72.33 per cent, it seems the clueless Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) has put the blame on the nearly 99 per cent CCTV surveillance of the examination centres this year.
Significantly, a look at the details brings to fore the devil. The number of students who took the Plus-2 Science examinations this year posted a rise of mere 2,654. In contrast, the rise in students sitting for CHSE Plus -2 Sc exams had been over 5,000 for the last two years (2017, 2018). Incidentally, the coincidence here again is the pass out rate in 2018 had fallen to 76.98 per cent from 81.11 per cent in 2017. Pass out rate of both girls and boys has fallen in 2019. The drop is sharp among boys as the pass rate dipped to 70.4 per cent from 75.6 per cent in 2018.
It needs mentioning that an analysis shows how the rate of appearance for CHSE Plus - 2 Science exams in the State has been directly proportional to the pass out percentage. It was observed that lower the pass out rate, lower were the enrolments in the Science stream in the next academic session.
As per the statistics released by School and Mass Education (S&ME) Minister Samir Dash, the total number of students who took the Plus-2 Sc exam this year were 97, 750. The number was 90, 643 in 2017 and 95,096 in 2018. In 2015, the appeared number was 93,920.
Similarly, the pass-out rate was 80.31 per cent in 2015. it increased to 81.11 per cent in 2017. The percentage dipped to 76.98 percent in 2018. In 2019, it fell to 72.33 per cent.
A closer look shows that the dip-rate in 2018 was around 4.13 per cent, and the rate is 4.65 per cent in 2019. This fact reveals that for two consecutive years the dip-rate in pass percentage has been at around 4 per cent.
Significantly, the CCTV surveillance was not there in 2018. The only new element then was introduction of the CBSE pattern of examination for the first time in the State in 2018. The consecutive fall in pass-out rate, thus, indicate the prime reason behind the falling of pass-out rate in the Plus-2 exams for two consecutive years. The mandarins at the S&ME have to ponder over it at the earliest, feel experts. The department has to train the college teachers accordingly to impart the quality CBSE education to students here, they observed.
Another interesting facet to fore is Balasore, which was topping the Plus-2 Science stream for a period of 2015-17, reclaimed the distinction this year. Last year Nayagarh topped the pass percentage in Science stream. And since 2016, Gajapati district was having the dubious distinction of lowest pass-out rate in the State. Significantly, Jharsuguda, which was at the bottom for three consecutive years since 2015, could reverse it performance since 2017. Experts are of the opinion that the S&ME authorities have not evolved any good practices to share among the district education authorities to boost the performance level.
However, one good trend to fore is the number of students securing first division in Science stream has posted a hefty rise in 2019. The number of first division pass outs were around 18, 459 in 2015, it increased to 20, 802 in 2019. An analysis shows the rate was around 2 per cent per year for the period of 2014-18. But in 2019, the increase in first division pass-out was a high of over 6 per cent.