BHUBANESWAR: The fall in the matriculation pass percentage and in the number of high-scorers has drawn sharp reactions from parents and educationists. They questioned the reforms initiated by
the Board of Secondary Education and said the evaluation system had put state board students at a disadvantage compared to those of CBSE, ICSE and and other state boards.
"The Board has been introducing reforms every year but the results are poor. It must think twice before implementing such reforms and using students as guinea pigs," said Pratap Chandra Rout, a parent. His son scored 75% in the exam, the results of which were declared on Monday.
The pass percentage of the annual high school certificate examinations this year was 77.35%, as against last year's 86.37%.
"The government should find the reason for the sharp decline in the pass percentage. If the question papers were tougher than last year's, students will score less marks. But this drop is worrying," said former board president,
Dakhya Prasad Nanda.
Like the decrease in the pass percentage, the number of students securing A1 grade (90 per cent or more) has also reduced. Last year, 2,417 students had scored over 90 per cent. This year, the figure has come down to 1,715.
"Odisha board students will not get admission in good colleges. If we don't give them a level playing field, how can they compete with students of other boards?" wondered Sujata Panda, another parent.
Educationists said the board's reforms were 'mindless'. "The main problem is objective-type questions. This has increased malpractice. Students have stopped reading," said M M Mohanty, an educationist. "There is an urgent need to overhaul the system. Without improving quality of education, how can we expect good results," he added.
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