Plans afoot to improve SSLC results

Amid Covid-19, the Department of Public Instructions (DPI) is chalking out programmes to improve Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations results for the next academic year.

The authorities are preparing an action plan to improve the result to ‘A’ grade in the final examination.

The district was in ‘B’ grade last year. It has to be noted that the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) has scrapped the district-wise ranking system from last year and introduced grading system to ensure healthy competition among the districts.

An officer attached to Education department said, “Grading will be calculated using three main parameters and the districts will be awarded A, B and C grades. For calculation, 40% weightage will be given for overall pass percentage of the district, 40% for average marks scored by students (pass/fail) and 20% to the number of students who get distinction and first-class marks in the exams.”

Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) D Bharati directed the Education department authorities to create an action plan without any delay to improve the grade to ‘A’. She pointed out that the neighbouring Chamarajanagar district, which is considered as one of the backward districts in state, tops in SSLC results. The DPI authorities must prepare a programme to ensure that the district will achieve ‘A’ grade, she said.

The CEO also suggested the authorities to concentrate more on the academically weaker students and impart special training for them. Bharati said, “The district has more number of rural students and the authorities must ensure all facilities to prepare them for the examination.”

As Vidyagama programme was not that effective, Bharati suggested the rural and academically poor students to work on old question papers and also to provide them the answer scripts of the rank students for reference.

Vidyagama is a scheme launched by the department of Primary and Secondary Education Department to reach out to students of the government schools during the Covid pandemic following the uncertainty over reopening of schools. However, the programme is temporarily stopped after more than 100 teachers contracted Covid and a few succumbed, since August.