ERODE: The district has registered a pass percentage of 98.87% in the Class 12 public examinations -- up from 97.98% last year -- and secured the top spot in the state, after finishing in the second place consecutively during the two previous academic years. Previously, the district had secured the first place in 2014 and 2016, with a pass percentage of 97.05% and 96.92%, respectively. Erode has also secured first place in the state in the total number of government schools achieving 100% pass rate.
As per the results published by the School Education Department on Friday, a total of 22,225 students, out of the 22,478 who had appeared for the examinations from 221 schools, passed. Girls registered a higher pass percentage of 99.27% compared to boys (98.87%). A total of 1,235 students secured centums in various subjects, notably 396 students scoring full marks in Computer Science.
Moreover, 128 schools in the district have achieved 100% pass rate, compared to 107 in the previous academic year. Of the 128, 46 are government schools, 5 are government-aided schools, 76 private schools, and one government tribal residential school.
Erode Collector S Kandasamy told TNIE, "There was fierce competition to secure the top spot. Nevertheless, right from the beginning of the academic year, everyone in the district worked with the specific goal of securing first place. Both the current and former chief educational officers of the district paid special attention to this." He said that special guides were distributed to students with low pass percentages across all schools.
Erode Chief Educational Officer E Maanhvizhi said, "The guidance of the collector and the special instructions from the department were key factors. We identified the mistakes from the previous year and rectified them. We focused on schools where the pass percentage declined last year and provided adequate training to the respective teachers. We identified students who scored low marks in the quarterly and half-yearly examinations and paid special attention to them. Students from hill villages struggled to secure good marks in Tamil. Consequently, we deployed high-performing Tamil teachers to such areas. We will take steps to ensure that students who have failed the exam pass again."
