MADURAI: Following the uproar over a private candidate's mark sheet stating that she failed in four subjects despite securing 514/600 in the Class 12 board examination, Assistant Director of Government Examinations Pradeepa has intimated that the candidate's external marks will soon be rectified. The official attributed the goof-up to the student, A Aarthi, being marked as per the old syllabus criteria (which was evaluated out of a total of 1,200 marks), instead of the new syllabus guidelines, which mandate a maximum score of only 600 marks.
As per the old syllabus criteria, students had to appear for the external examination and practical tests. Whereas the new syllabus criteria mandate the students to appear in external, internal, and practical examinations. "Since Aarthi, a Biology-Math student, wrote the examination as per the old syllabus, she has only appeared for the practical examination and not the internal examination for all the subjects," Pradeepa said, adding that the internal marks had to be added by the school concerned.
TNIE accessed Aarthi's Class 11 and Class 12 mark sheets. After Aarthi completed her Class 11 at Seethalakshmi Girls Higher Secondary School in March 2021. Following this, the girl's parents arranged her marriage with Velmurugan, while she was studying in Class 12. Stated that married students cannot attend classes in the institution, and the school management forced her to leave the school in 2022.
However, determined to complete her school education, Aarthi enrolled herself as a private candidate at Arulmigu Andavar Subramania Swamy Girls Higher Secondary School in Thiruparankundram, where they wrongly mentioned that she would be attending the Class 12 examination based on the old syllabus. This error crept in even as her Class 11 mark sheet clearly states that she followed the new syllabus, wherein each subject is marked out of 100 (with 70-20-10 criteria).
After the incident came to light on Tuesday, Pradeepa held an inquiry and sent the report to the Director of Government Examinations. Speaking to TNIE, said while they would be filing her external marks, the student's internal marks have to be submitted by the school concerned.
However, Velmurugan said it is difficult to collect internal marks from the school now since Aarthi had already taken her transfer certificate. Chief Minister MK Stalin and Minister for Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi must intervene in the issue and render justice to my wife, he said.
Speaking to TNIE, Platform for Common School System (SPCSS) General Secretary PB Prince Gajendra Babu said students from the Science group cannot appear as private candidates in the exam. "In this incident, it is the examination wing that allowed Aarthi to appear in the examination under the Science group. It is not the student's fault. The candidate can approach the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court for justice," he said.