The CBSE Class XII marks, which were published on Friday, are “more realistic” compared to the “very high marks” that students scored last year, the heads of several schools in Kolkata said.
The average performance, the heads said, has come down compared with the pre-pandemic years.
The two years of online classes created learning gaps, a number of teachers said. Also, many students might have taken it easy during online classes.
The top scorers have retained their position, with many of them scoring 100 in a number of subjects. But the performance of “average students”, for whom mentoring in in-person classes is crucial, has dropped in several schools.
“Last year there was no exam (because of Covid). This year, marks have been calculated on a weightage given to both term 1 and 2. The physical exam does give a more realistic picture,” said Anjana Saha, principal of Mahadevi Birla World Academy.
For the 2022 batch, the CBSE conducted term 1 exams in November and December and term 2 exams in April and May.
“Students appeared for term 1 immediately after attending online classes. In term 2, teachers got more time, but much of that time was spent on practicals. Besides, there were obvious learning gaps from the last two years,” said R.S. Bhattacharjee, principal, South Point High School.
The average performance of the school before the pandemic used to be close to 90 per cent. “This year, it has gone down a few steps,” said Bhattacharjee.
The CBSE pass percentage in the Bhubaneswar region, which includes West Bengal, is 90.37 per cent this year. It was 99.55 per cent last year.
Since the board exams could not be held last year, the marks were calculated on the basis of a formula where a school’s best performance in the previous three years was considered.
Before the pandemic, schools would work on average and below-average students and that would pull up the overall performance of the institutions. There would be remedial classes and retests, which could not be held this year.
Like South Point, Delhi Public School Ruby Park, too, said the performance of average students has taken a beating.
Several school heads said it was unfair to compare this year’s performance with last year’s since no exams were held in 2021.
“Even this year, children did not get enough time to practise and they had to write an exam under tough situations, which was not the case earlier,” said Koeli Dey, principal of Sushila Birla Girls School.
The term 1 exams had multiple-choice questions, which were new for students and teachers, said Dey.
“Compared to last year, this year's marks are more realistic, reflecting a student’s work. They do deserve a pat on their back for scoring what they did after online classes,” said Meena Kak, principal of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy.
“Toppers always perform well… a section of students missed out on remedial classes and another section took advantage of online lessons and played truant, which impacted them,” said Amita Prasad, director of Indus Valley World School.
The CBSE Class X results were also announced on Friday afternoon.
