Last year, the pass percentage of students in rural area schools was 61.22% and those of urban schools was 63.85%. (Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)THE MATRICULATION results of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) were declared Wednesday, with the pass percentage shooting up to 85.86 per cent — shooting up by a whopping 26% higher as compared to last year — the highest in three years.
Last year, the pass percentage was 59.47% and 57.5% in 2017. In 2018 and 2017, the PSEB claimed that grace marks were not given to students.
Girls again outshone the boys this year as the first two top positions were bagged by female students. This year, schools located in rural areas performed with a pass percentage of 86.7% while those of schools in urban areas was 83.38%.
Last year, the pass percentage of students in rural area schools was 61.22% and those of urban schools was 63.85%.
PSEB Chairman Manohar Kant Kalohia said a total of 3,17,387 students appeared in the examinations held in March. As many as 2,71,554 students passed.
Kalohia added that 10,199 students failed while 35,615 students have re-appear, and results of 19 students were withheld.
He added that this year, the pass percentage of girls was 90.63% while that of boys was 81.30%. Last year, the pass percentage of boys was 52.31% while that of girls was 69.13%.
Kalohia attributed the the hike to “justifiable” marking. He said that this year, the examiners had been told to ask questions which were in ‘books’ and the syllabus the students had studied.
“There should not be a trend of asking questions which students did not know. This time schools a put lot of thrust on studies due to which the pass percentage increased,” he added.
Asked whether the PSEB gave grace marks to students, Kalohia denied the same. He added that marks were given in three exams — 6 in social studies, 3 in hindi and 3 in mathematics.
Students of Pathankot district performed the best in the state with a pass percentage of 91.2%, while Tarn Taran had the lowest at 74.26%. Ludhiana district has the highest number of meritorious students with 91 students making it to the merit list of 324 students who secured 97% or more. Tarn Taran has only one student in the merit list.
