CHENNAI: After lagging behind government schools in performance just three years ago, tribal welfare schools in the state have made a turnaround consistently recording pass percentage around 95% and also significantly improving the student outcomes with many of them scoring higher marks this year in Class 12. Officials from the tribal welfare department attributed the success to consistent monitoring and dedicated efforts by teachers and headmasters.
“We have been conducting six to seven academic reviews throughout the year to track student progress. Our teachers worked tirelessly, and we also organised several motivational sessions to boost student confidence,” said an official.
In 2022, tribal welfare schools had recorded a pass percentage of 86, falling short of the 89% recorded in government schools overall. However, with targeted interventions and increased focus on schools, these schools have not only closed the gap but also surpassed it. The schools have also seen drop in absenteeism. While 11.49% of the students were absent in 2022, it has come down to 5.38% in 2025.
In 2022, nearly 48% of students scored below 300 marks and 42% fell in the 300-400-mark range. Today, only 9.8% of students are below the 300-mark range. A majority of students (56.3%) have now scored in the 300-400 range, while the number of students securing 401-500 marks has jumped from 8.6% in 2022 to 31.8% this year.
Even those in the 501-550 bracket have increased fourfold from just 0.5% to 2.1%. Of the 28 Government Tribal Residential Schools and six Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), 12, including six EMRS, recorded a 100% pass rate this year. Most of the remaining schools also performed well, with over 90% of students passing.
The evaluation process was centralised to ensure a fair assessment of student performance. A special meeting was held with the parents of students who had either failed or were absent from the exams, urging them to encourage their children to appear for the supplementary exams, officials added.
The EMRS in Kumizhi, Chengalpattu, has recorded an improvement in its performance, with the pass rate rising from 54% last year to a full 100% this year. All 13 students who appeared for the exam cleared it.
“About one-third of our students are raised by single parents and some don’t even have proper homes. Many of them had previously failed in Class 10,” said B Venkateswaran, the headmaster. “We are happy to have achieved 100% results this year,” he added.