SSLC exams: DK Babus work hard to bring district on top

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Feb 21, 2017:  With official enthusiasm running high and hard work the beacon, education officials in the district, Dakshina Kannada (DK) rose to the third spot on the list of rankings for the highest pass percentage in SSLC examination across the state in 2016. It was a huge improvement compared to the district’s performance 2015 and 2014, when DK was ranked eighth and 29th respectively.

However, officials in the district are now determined to ensure that the DK takes the top spot this year. "All seven block education officers (BEOs) in the district are looking to achieve a pass percentage of 95% in their respective areas. They have reached out to parents, teachers and heads of local administrative bodies to achieve this goal," said a senior official from the education department.

Mission95 Plus, an initiative that was launched by Puttur BEO GS Shashidhar three years ago has been delivering good results for the region. "Three years ago, out of nearly 5,000 students from Puttur taluk who wrote the SSLC examination, 1,323 students failed. In 2016, more than 5,100 students took the examination, but the number of those who failed came down to 570. Our aim is to bring that down to a single digit," Shashidhar said.

Special classes are also being conducted for Students scoring less than 30 (out of 100). While boys are being tutored at night, additional classes for girls are conducted before dusk, owing to security concerns. Shashidhar said, "We are focusing on students who have difficulty in grasping the subjects. Teachers have been working right from June to help these students."

The in-charge BEO of Belthangady, Tarakesari said that they had conducted a series of programmes for underperforming students. "Zilla panchayat members spoke to parents of these students. In fact, chairman of the ZP health committee, Shahul Hameed has been trying to motivate students across the district," she added.

She pointed out that mathematics, science and English were the three subjects a majority of students failed in. "A few students, however, fail all the subjects. We have also held a meeting with Madarasa authorities, and requested them not to conduct classes in the run-up to SSLC examinations, since students could use the additional time to revise their portions," Tarakesari said.