Mangalore: Why Do Coastal Districts Lag Behind in SSLC?
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, May 13: Dakshina Kannada district, hailed to be the ‘district of intelligent people’ has slipped to a lowly 21st position in the state, as far as SSLC results of this year are concerned. The lackadaisical performance of the district, which is held in high esteem by other districts from which students flock here for better education, has baffled many educationists over years. Even in terms of quality of education, sincerity of teachers and facilities at schools, the coastal districts are rated high.
The district has slipped 13 notches to 21st place as compared to last year in SSLC results. This is in spite of the fact that its SSLC performance has improved this year from 72.85 to 78.30 percent registered last year, a clear indication that other districts have improved their performances by leaps and bounds. If we compare this to the result in 2004, when Dakshina Kannada district, with a pass percentage of 77.4 percent, was placed second behind Udupi, and had secured an honourable third spot in 2005, the slip is phenomenal. Although the ranking of the district has seen a roller coaster ride over the past some years, its slump this year behind many north Karnataka districts like Koppal, is unimaginable.
Udupi district, which had stood first in the state two years ago and fourth, last year, has gone down to the sixth position this year. The district has topped the state in PUC result, but the question is, why has the same performance not repeated in SSLC?
The teachers from the coastal belt, who are deputed for valuation work, have often found that students of many districts are allowed to copy their answers en masse. This is evident from the fact that almost all the answer sheets from specific centres bear the same answers and same mistakes. Copying can by far, improve the results of the districts, if not succeed in getting ranks for the students. Coastal districts have always been known for strict discipline and following of laid down procedures, where students are never allowed to copy answers or engage in other malpractices. In Pre University examination, mass copying has been rendered very difficult because of inherent systems. Naturally therefore, the coastal districts have shared the top two spots in PUC.
If the teachers put in more efforts to concentrate on the students who lag behind in studies, and if the school managements take steps to aim at 100 percent result, it may not be impossible for them to ensure that these districts go up the ladder again and be at the top. This is a daunting task, but the coastal schools can do it, and show that real education, and not mass copying, wins hands down at the end.