SSLC exam; reforms should be welcomed to increase quality of education

Around 4.4 lakh students appeared for the SSLC exam this time. Out of this, less than 2,000 children were not eligible for higher education. In other words, SSLC has become an exam that all the students who write it will clear. The pass percentage this time is 99.69. This was not the case in the old days. The number of children getting a first class in SSLC examination was only between five and ten per school in rural areas and elsewhere. Only the above-average children got first class then. Education experts themselves agree that today's A Plus does not have the value of a first-class of those days. A very light examination and evaluation system has been prevailing for the last fifteen years.

As SSLC becomes a gateway for anyone, it is only natural that its status and value will decrease. It has happened here too. Although scholars in the field of education have been calling for a change in this for a long time, it was not clear how it should be done. However, when the result was announced this time, the Education Minister revealed that a new method will be introduced from next year, thereby imposing a minimum mark for each subject. Even though it is too late, we should welcome the public education sector's readiness for this, rather than raising objections and trying to stop it. If basic exams and studies are not up to standard, children will be left behind in competitive exams later. This will have a negative impact on their future.

This is not a new reform. In the olden days minimum marks in each subject were mandatory to pass SSLC. Bringing back that old system is a good thing. It will definitely help to improve the quality of the SSLC exam. Students studying the state syllabus generally get higher marks. However, statistics show that students are lagging behind in major competitive exams like NEET, JEE and Central University Entrance Examinations. Reforms should be introduced to change this. The Department of General Education is gearing up for new changes in a situation where admission to undergraduate courses has also almost shifted to competitive exams. The new reforms should be able to ensure that students studying the state syllabus are not lagging behind in competitive exams.

The benefit of the general education department remaining unprepared for any change over the years is actually for the private coaching centres. This is a period when kids and parents have fully accepted that they cannot win competitive exams without paying huge fees and going for coaching. It's not about increasing or decreasing success percentage. It is necessary to ensure that the quality of education increases. Special training aimed at competitive exams should be given to children from school level onwards. The Department of General Education already has all the systems for that, but it is not being implemented out of fear of someone. This is what needs to change. It is not a big deal that people who cannot even write their own names without mistakes come in droves through the door of SSLC.