The higher secondary results were out last Sunday prolonging the anxiety of students and parents following a technical glitch which led to a delay of over two hours. Disappointment seems to have filled the air as the results recorded a drop of 10.47 per cent in comparison to last year. This time the board recorded a pass percentage of 84.99 as compared to the 95.46 per cent the previous academic year. The Chairman of the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Bhagirath Shetye attributed the decline in results to a lack of focus among students and cited a decrease in reading habits.
The comparison of this year’s results with the previous year is appalling because parameters have been different -- from portion to the format of exams. In 2021, the Board assessed on the principle of averages since exams could not be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the result recorded was 99.4 per cent. Subsequently, in 2022, when the State was still in the grip of Covid-19, the result was 92.66 per cent. In 2023, when the Board decided to hold two exams (1 MCQ and another normal test), the result stood at 95.46 per cent. In contrast, between 2017 and 2020, the result percentage was in the range of 85 to 89, which is very much in line with the current result, and the drop that the chairman is pointing out is completely misplaced.
Secondly, Shetye’s comment on students lacking focus and the decline in reading habits are certainly areas of grave concern because these attributes are key factors that go into shaping academic profiles and careers. The question here is, who’s responsibility is it? Schools, teachers, parents, students themselves, or collectively everyone, including the Board?
It is the fundamental responsibility of educational institutions to imbibe good values in students, chart out their paths and keep them focused on their scholastic careers, and if students have strayed, schools must set right those wrongs. Reading habits form the core of any curriculum even while we speak about technology, robotics and a paradigm shift in the education system. Again, the Board must accept failure on this count too.
If libraries are empty and students lack interest, it is for the Board and schools to discuss, debate and come up with appropriate solutions. Squarely blaming students for lack of focus and not showing enthusiasm in reading reflects the helplessness of the Board and does not inspire confidence as the State preps for a deep dive into the National Education Policy.
If there is disappointment over the result, it is because the assessment system during the Covid years created a false sense of accomplishment through inflated percentages with results that are distant from the trending reality. It is possibly here that a misplaced and easy feeling of achievement has taken root.
The State is on the threshold of onboarding the new education policy for higher classes and one of the proposals discussed is about eliminating streams. The Goa Board has not given much clarity on what its plan is, leading to confusion among teachers, students, parents and even school management who have kept their fingers crossed as admissions open for the new academic year.
The Board has to show clarity of thought and foresight, before finding scapegoats in the system.
