The Government Kannada Medium High School at Nada village in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada, which was the first government school in the State to open a laboratory to help students overcome their fear of mathematics, has recorded 100% results in mathematics in the SSLC exam for the second consecutive year. The school opened the laboratory five years ago.

It was the brain child of Yakub Koyyur, an assistant teacher in mathematics in the school.

All 39 students, including 13 girls, have passed in mathematics this year. Last year, all 43 students had passed in the subject, Mr. Koyyur told The Hindu.

The teacher opened the laboratory in February 2014 with the intention of making students having less-than-average learning ability score well and at least pass in the mathematics paper. It was also to prevent many students from ending their education in SSLC for having failed in mathematics as they felt it was tough nut to crack.

But the laboratory was effectively put to use one year later, from the 2015–16 academic year.

When the first batch of SSLC students who used the laboratory wrote the exam in March 2015, the pass percentage in mathematics went up to 77.35 from 69.38 in 2014. It further rose to 95% in 2016 and witnessed a slight decrease — 94.59% — in 2017. The dream of the teacher to see all SSLC students pass in the subject has been realised for the second consecutive year. Before setting up the laboratory, the pass percentage in mathematics in SSLC in the school varied between 62.6 and 86.76 from 2008 to 2013. The school had previously recorded cent per cent results in mathematics in 2002.

Mr. Koyyur said all students who passed in the subject this year and last year had been exposed to the laboratory since they were in Class 8. The three-year exposure had helped them to shed their fear of mathematics.

“Though we (teachers) had fear that 12 students might fail in the subject this year as they were very poor in learning in other subjects too, they have sailed through,” an elated Mr. Koyyur said.

In his bright and colourful ‘Maths World’ laboratory, all students from Class 8 onwards get hands-on experience through models, audio-visual tools, and charts.