Mita Mukherjee
The pass percentage of the 2023 Higher Secondary (Class XII) examinations improved marginally, but the number of high performers has dropped sharply compared to last year.
Compared to the 88.44 per cent pass percentage recorded last year, 89.25 per cent candidates cleared the Class XII state board examinations this year.
But the number of 90 per cent above scorers has declined from 47,203 in 2022 to 7958 this year.
The downward trend in students’ performance is seen in other grades as well in the 2023 examinations, the results of which were declared on Wednesday. For example, the number of 80 per cent above marks has dropped from 3,38,929 last year to 52,878 this time. Similarly, the number 70 per cent and 60 per cent above scorers too have declined sharply.
This year, only 87 students were placed in the first top ten ranks, whereas 272 candidates obtained the first ten positions.
The drop is significant because the number of examinees had increased from 7,17,052 in 2022 to 7,93,209 this time.
Several teachers attributed the decline to reasons like lack of in-person-classes till the end of February 2022 and non-availability of proper technology support to students, especially who come from underprivileged families during the pandemic when classes were held only on online mode.
Some teachers said last year students were tested on a reduced syllabus and they were also allowed to write the exam at their own schools and these factors could have helped the students to score higher marks in the 2022 examinations.
But more students have scored between 50-59 and 40-49 per cent this year.
Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya, president of the West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education which conducted the school leaving examinations said “ The results are just out. We will review the results later and find out why the number of high performers have gone down.”
He, however, said the examinations were held in normal conditions and overall pass percentage too is normal this time.
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