Ranchi, Nov. 20: The shoddy state of secondary education in the state was brought to the fore by the dismal performance of students in a scholarship examination held for government-run schools in all 24 districts.

Out of the 5,953 candidates, who had appeared for the test, only 902 could lap up the scholarships — this despite low qualifying marks. While an SC/ST candidate needed 32 per cent to bag the scholarship, the cut-off was 40 per cent for general students. The Union ministry of human resource development (HRD) has earmarked 1,959 scholarships for the state.

As per the scheme — means-cum-merit scholarship — for the 2007-08 session, only Class VIII students of government and government-aided schools were eligible to apply for the test provided they had 50 per cent (ST and SC) and 55 per cent (general category) in annual examinations.

The grant of Rs 6,000 per annum for four years is enough to support a poor student’s education from Class IX to XII. For getting regular scholarships, a student needs to secure a minimum of 55 per cent in Class IX and XI and 60 per cent in Class X. A waiver of five per cent has been given to SC and ST students. The scheme is especially beneficial for poor students whose parents’ annual income is less than Rs 1.5 lakh per annum.

An entrance test based on NCERT syllabi was held on August 17 and 5,953 students appeared. The objective questions were divided into two groups —mental eligibility test (MET) and scholastic aptitude tests (SAT) — of 90 marks each. The students had to qualify in both the sections.

The results painted a sad picture. In extremist-infested Giridih, out of 255 scholarships offered, only 68 were bagged. In Palamau, 51 students could enjoy the benefit whereas the district had 124 scholarships earmarked for it.

East Singbhum (Jamshedpur) district also fared poorly as out of 178 scholarships on offer, only 54 students could qualify. The only consolation was Ranchi where 111 students were eligible for the 115 scholarships on offer.

The poor show compelled the state secondary education department to request the HRD ministry to further relax the qualifying marks for the 2008-09 session tests held on November 16.

R.N. Tripathi, deputy director of the higher secondary department and the nodal officer for scholarship examinations, said the reason for the dismal show was that the test concentrated on the districts and did not throw light on the merit of all students of the state.

“Moreover, it was conducted for the first time. We hope for better results next year as we expect meritorious students to apply for the scholarships,” Tripathi said.