Giving a major jolt to the Karnataka education board, the results of the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) saw 46 schools in the state recording zero per cent pass percentage out of which 21 schools are in Bengaluru. The number of schools which recorded zero pass percentage in Karnataka actually increased from 43 to 46 since 2018.
The schools in Bengaluru were aided and unaided and according to Bangalore Mirror, one school had recorded one only candidate appearing for the examination.
The Karnataka education department had earlier forbade schools with less than 25 students from renewing recognition with the board, an unnamed official told BM. This led to many questioning why these schools whose strength were in the single digits to be allowed to appear for the examinations.
"The school with zero percent results are lacking in infrastructure and teaching resources. They are not in a position to run a school and earlier did not get permission to run. Students of such school were advised to be moved to a nearby high school so that their academics do not suffer. We need to deliberate on the measures that need to be taken to ensure that no school records such results," the official was quoted as saying in the report.
The official revealed data that 1626 schools appeared for the examinations out of which 95 schools had nine or fewer students and five schools had only one student. He added that many schools fail the academically weak students in class nine itself so that there will not be any disadvantageous effect on the pass percentage in the SSLC exams.
Associated Management of English Medium Schools in Karnataka or KAMS' general secretary told that the department should start a surprise check for schools, especially for class nine students.
"The department should go on a surprise visit or track the Class 9 strength and check what the issue is. We can clearly see that hundreds of schools in Bengaluru are not allowing students to appear for Class 10 because they do not want their overall results to go down," Shashi Kumar D told Bangalore Mirror.
