Curb dropout rates,but don’t lower the bar for students
Karnataka has a worrying issue on its hands in the form of the high school dropout rate. In an attempt to arrest this, the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-2, headed by retired chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, has come up with a number of recommendations, among which is lowering the pass marks for SSLC (Class 10) and Pre-University (PU) exams. The Commission highlighted that the pass percentage in SSLC and PU examinations in Karnataka is much lower when compared with neighbouring states. The numbers paint a surprisingly dark picture for a progressive state which is known to be a hub of education and for its scientific institutions: the dropout rate between elementary and secondary stage is nearly 18%, while the dropout rate between the secondary and higher secondary stage is 34%, putting the total dropout rate at 52%. The report also pointed out that the Gross Enrolment Ratio in PU education in Karnataka is 52.1%, as against 83% in Kerala, 73.2% in Tamil Nadu, 67% in Maharashtra, 57.2% in Telangana and 52.2% in Andhra Pradesh.
In its report, the Commission put forth a number of suggestions to improve the pass percentage and dropout rate, like changing to multiple choice question (MCQ) pattern, internal assessment for Arts and Commerce students, giving grace marks, provision to write exams in both Kannada and English for PU, and having second supplementary exams for Class 10 and 12. Among the most drastic measures is reducing pass marks for SSLC theory exam from 28 to 15 or 20.
While this step could bring down academic stress and encourage children to continue with studies, it can only be a stop-gap measure. By bringing the bar down so low, the authorities are only doing the students a disservice that will leave them crippled when they step out into the real world. Instead of building an education ecosystem which promotes equity among students, they are ensuring that it will lead to more discrimination and promotion of the reservation system. Modern educationists may argue that marks are just numbers and do not reflect learning, but our mass education system is yet to evolve, and scoring marks keeps the competitive spirit alive. The percentile system continues to define professional examinations, and hence, career paths. What our education setup needs is a thorough reassessment, besides heavy funding and incentives to poor families to help students complete their education.