Chief Minister Siddaramaiah interacts with students during a school reopening day programme at the Karnataka Public School at Adugodi in Bengaluru on Thursday. He is flanked by Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa.
Credit: DH photo
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday set a target for the school education and literacy department to achieve 75 per cent pass percentage in SSLC exams, without awarding grace marks to students.
Addressing an event organised by the department to welcome students back to school for the new academic year here, he expressed displeasure over the department awarding grace marks for the 2024 exams.
Siddaramaiah said last year, the results were increased by giving 20% grace marks.
When Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa intervened to tell him that the grace marks awarded was 10%, the chief minister corrected him saying, “I am well aware of it, grace marks awarded last year was 20%. I have clearly said there should not be any grace marks. To know the real capacity of students, we should stop giving grace marks.”
The chief minister insisted that the department officials should put in efforts so that one lakh students score 100% in the exams next year.
“This year, 40 students have secured 625 out of 625. I want this number to increase to one lakh next year,” the chief minister said.
Request to parents
Sharing details about the facilities provided at government schools and promising to improve the quality of education there on a par with private ones, the chief minister requested the parents to enrol their wards in government schools.
Stressing the importance of mother tongue and regional language, he advised students to love and respect the mother tongue and the regional language even as they learn other languages.
“Knowledge and the language of instruction are not related. We cannot say those studying in government schools are dumb. I am a living example of what government school children can achieve. Today, I am the chief minister for a second time,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar advised students to aim to become job givers, instead of job seekers.