Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education declared a 99.72 pass percentage result for SSC students for the academic year 2020-21. Out of 23,967 students assessed internally, only 67 failed. The result may have triggered euphoria among students, especially the weaker ones, but it has exposed the inherent flaw of our education system once again, and a sheer lack of foresight in our planners.
The Board may have finished with one of the challenges of declaring results, and in all probability may be relieved. However, the near-hundred per cent success speaks volumes of the failure of our education system in putting a concrete plan in place. The result is a clear sign of leniency, or call it a lack of fair assessment protocol and it throws up a host of critical questions: How does this overwhelming result help students? Has the board gone through the motions to only bring cheer to the thousands of students and parents who were worried over failures? Or has it effectively checkmated resentment via this please-all approach?
The exercise of declaring results may have been done and dusted, but for the students, the challenges are far from over. With a new halo of confidence around them, students could find themselves struggling to move past the next level because institutions will be under tremendous strain, including the allied streams, to accommodate them. With the Education Department having no plan in place, these students who will embark on more intense academic journeys could find the going extremely tough, especially when they face screening and entrance tests to move to the next level.
Ambitious students who have secured even 80 per cent aggregate marks in internal assessment could find upward movement tough because the checks and balances of internal assessment have failed. This could end up crippling careers and also have damaging consequences on individuals. Instead of resorting to mass promotions, it would have been prudent to consider the challenges that these students are likely to face going ahead and address them appropriately at this juncture. Finding the right balance between equivalence and fair assessment is very crucial in such a scenario.
The Goa Board has resorted to short-term measures and brought in a feel-good factor without looking at the larger picture. While it has held on to the argument that physical or online form of examination is not possible during the Covid phase, it has failed to establish a robust and consistent internal assessment system on the lines of Central boards. A flawed education system continues to take its toll and the bright and deserving students have become targets.
The board has announced its verdict, it has accomplished a job ushering in a momentary sense of contentment to all. Going forward, there has to be a clear plan for the education path, a deviation from the chaos that is currently seen. The State continues to grapple with network issues, and promises of better connectivity have remained elusive, but we can’t allow these issues to hamper careers. We hope that the board will learn from the failures and course-correct in the academic year 2021.
