Out of a total 16,39,862 students who appeared for the exams, 3,57,055 students were from the Mumbai division. (Representational)A change in the exam pattern has led to a considerable dip in the pass percentage of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) results with only 77.10 per cent students in the state clearing the exams. In Mumbai, the pass percentage is 77.04 per cent. The pass percentage is said to be the lowest in the last decade. In 2005, the pass percentage for the entire state was 57.31 per cent but it had been rising ever since. This is the first time that the pass percentage has shown such a considerable fall.
The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education declared the SSC results on Saturday which showed that the state’s overall pass percentage dropped from last year’s 89.41 per cent to 77.10 per cent. Mumbai division’s pass percentage fell from 90.41 per cent to 77.04 per cent.
Out of a total 16,39,862 students who appeared for the exams, 3,57,055 students were from the Mumbai division.
There are a total of nine divisions under the board. Among all divisions, Konkan secured the highest pass percentage of 88.38, whereas the pass percentage in Nagpur was the lowest at 67.27. Mumbai, with 77.04 per cent, ranked fifth, a slip from its last year’s fourth rank.
The drastic dip in results has been attributed by the state as Maharashtra SSC results well as experts to the revised paper pattern, which sought to deviate from rote learning and comprised application-based questions. Moreover, this was the first year after oral exams for languages was scrapped, making students appear for 100 mark language papers.
Reacting to the drop in overall pass percentage, Education Minister Vinod Tawde said the change in paper pattern had led to reduction of the excessive marks that students had been getting. “The concept of oral exams was introduced from 2008 and was in effect until last year. In 2007, the pass percentage was about 70 per cent, which rose by an additional 16 per cent in 2008. For 2019, the 20 mark oral exams were scrapped which has caused the excessive marks to come down,” he said.
Tawde claimed the review of the exam pattern had been done to give students a picture of their ability and allow them an opportunity to select an appropriate career, rather than finding themselves unemployed later on. The supplementary exams will be conducted between July and August, the schedule of which is expected soon.
Sixteen students from Latur scored 100 per cent marks. This number is a massive dip over 2018 when 70 students from Latur got 100 per cent marks. Three students from Aurangabad and one from Amravati scored 100 per cent marks as well. However, no student from Mumbai or Pune divison could match this feat. In 2018, four from Mumbai had managed to get a perfect score.
Krisha Nilesh Shah of Mumbai’s Divine Child School scored 99.20 per cent. Shah achieved additional 15 marks for Bharatanatyam, a dance she has been pursuing since 11 years.
“I would devote only about two hours everyday to studies. I found the paper pattern to be easy and my classes made it fun for us. I would get up early morning and grasp as much as I could,” the Andheri resident said.
A student of St Lawrence School, Sahil Sanjay Vedpathak scored 98.60 per cent. Sahil achieved 10 marks extra for playing harmonium and keyboard. “I didn’t have a plan. I went on studying as per class tests and homework given to us. I may have scored more marks because I understand everything I study instead of rote learning. I now plan to pursue computer engineering,” he said.
