UBSE Uttarakhand Board examinations to conclude tomorrow

The Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE) is holding the state board examinations for Class 10 and Class 12. The exams started on March 5 and will conclude on Saturday.

As many as 1, 49,486 students have been registered for the Class 10 examination this year, whereas 1,32,371 students have enrolled for the Class 12 boards, said officials.

The school education board has set up 1,309 examination centres in Uttarakhand. Of them, 230 centres have been identified as “sensitive”. A majority of such centres are located in Nainital, Chamoli and Haridwar districts, officials said.

There are more than 17,000 government schools across all the 13 districts in Uttarakhand.

However, a major cause of concern for the UBSE is the pass percentage of students, both in Class 10 and Class 12, which has not improved in the last many years. The average pass percentage of students has been hovering between 70% and 75%. Several efforts were made by the government to increase the figures but in vain. The school education department struggles every year to improve the pass percentage.

“Various problems are encountered by schools situated in remote areas. Lack of teachers and infrastructure are a few issues due to which the pass percentage could not be increased over the years,” UBSE Secretary VP Simalti told Hindustan Times.

To enhance these figures, the board has decided to introduce multiple choice questions for the first time this year. But its success could only be ascertained after the examination results come, sources said. “How can we expect better results if the students aren’t taking classes regularly or teachers are not available on most working days? This new system might provide students with options, but how much will it really help them?” a government school teacher said on the condition of anonymity.

Statistics at a glance

Total students to appear in 10th boards: 149486

Total students to appear in 12th boards: 132371

Total students: 2,81,857

Total examination centres: 1309

Sensitive examination centres: 230 (Topmost districts: Nainital-41, Pithoragarh- 15, Bageshwar-12, Champawat-13, Chamoli-26, US Nagar-22, Haridwar-5 and others)