Board Exam Results: In some state boards, less than half of Classes 10, 12 ST students pass

NEW DELHI: Less than half the candidates, 49.54%, from Scheduled Tribes passed the Madhya Pradesh board Class 10 exam (MPBSE HSC) in 2020; for Tripura board, the figure is even worse – 43.66%. Data shared by the ministry of tribal affairs with Rajya Sabha during the budget session 2023 of parliament shows that children from the historically-marginalised Adivasi communities struggle far more in board exams of some states than in others.

In several states with sizable tribal populations, Class 10 board exam pass percentages hover around the halfway mark. These include Gujarat (55%), Assam (57.9%), and Meghalaya (52.68%). Similarly, in Class 12, Karnataka’s pre-university examination (PUE) saw an average of 58.74% students from Scheduled Tribes clearing the exam; this was 59% in Tripura, 63.44% in Kerala and 64.5% in Orissa.

The data also shows that Adivasi students attending schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recorded a significantly better pass percentage – than the state boards in Class 10 (87%) as well as Class 12 (86%) in 2020. Telangana is the only state where 100% of Adivasi students passed both Classes 10 and 12 in 2020. Apart from centrally-run schools such as the Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNV) and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV) and a handful of state schools, CBSE schools are private.

The latest data is from 2020 when the covid-19 pandemic struck and several board exams were cancelled or the evaluation patterns altered.

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Board Exam Result: Improvement, decline

In many states, students from ST communities have shown an improvement in pass percentages. Bihar board (BSEB) Class 10 pass percentage for ST students rose from 46.7% in 2016 to 89.1% in 2020, an over 40 percentage-point rise. In Class 12 (BSEB Inter result), the pass percentage rose from 60.8% to 87.7% over the same period. That said, the state’s Class 12 pass percentage levels for Adivasi students have not risen steadily but fluctuated wildly even within those years, falling as low as 39.7% in 2017.

Similarly, Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE) Class 10 results of Adivasi students have also improved, from 53.2% in 2016 to 75.2% in 2020, but they are still behind other states. West Bengal board’s Class 10 (WBBSE or Madhyamik) results have improved from 66.2% in 2016 to 70.3% in 2020.

In the case of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), 100% ST students qualified Class 10 in 2020 where the pass percentage used to hover around 50% in the previous years. In Class 12, Punjab and Telangana boards have seen pass percentages of tribal students rise sharply. In Punjab, they rose from 74.7% in 2016 to 93% in 2020; and in Telangana, from 48.8% in 2016 to 100% in 2020.

The CBSE Class 12 results for STs have similarly improved, from 75.8% to 86.4%. In Gujarat, GSEB Class 12 pass percentages rose from 50.9% to 73.7% for Adivasi students.

However, some states registered a sharp decline. Uttar Pradesh board’s Class 12 results (UPMSP Inter) for this community plummeted from 82.9% to 64.8%.

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CBSE, CISCE board exam result

Adivasi students have improved their CBSE Class 12 result, recording a pass percentage of 86% in 2020, an increase of 17.9 percentage points from 2016 levels.

Pass percentage for ST students in schools affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) was 96.1% in ISC Class 12 result in 2020. This was an improvement from 92.7% in 2016.

However, in the CBSE Class 10 board exams, there’s been only marginal improvement over the same five years – from 86.6% in 2016 to 87.3% in 2020.

Also Read | CBSE Board Class 10, 12 exam 2023 starts tomorrow; Exam day guidelines, timings

In the Class 10 ICSE board exam result, 97.1% of tribal students passed; in 2020, that figure stood at 99%. Practically all ICSE schools are private.

Board Exam Result: Classes 10, 12 Scheduled Tribe pass percentage in 2020

Board Exam Result: Class 10, Class 12 gap

Some states showed wide gaps between Class 10 and Class 12 results. In several states, including Kerala, West Bengal, and Karnataka, these exams are conducted by different bodies.

As many as 95% Adivasi students cleared the Class 10 Kerala SSLC exam but when it came to the Class 12 Kerala DHSE one, only 63% were successful. Similarly, in Andhra Pradesh, all Adivasi candidates for the Class 10 AP SSC cleared in 2020 but the pass percentage dropped to just 65% in the Class 12 AP Intermediate exams.

There are gaps between the Class 10 and Class 12 board exam results in Assam, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as well but in their cases, Class 12 students have done better. In Gujarat, only 50% ST students passed the GSEB Class 10 exam in 2020 while 73% passed the Class 12 exam the same year. In Assam, 63% ST students pass the SEBA Class 10 exam and 77%, the AHSEC Class 12 exam.

Class 12 students did better in Manipur and Meghalaya as well.