Did Education dept give grace marks to over 50,000 SSLC students?

BENGALURU: While the state saw an improvement in the pass percentage in the SSLC exams this year, questions are being raised if the Education Department made another avoidable mistake while announcing the results. The department’s actions have raised suspicions as the exam board is allegedly not giving out the number of students who were given grace marks to pass.

Primary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa boasted about the improved results, compared to last year, during a recent press conference to announce the results, but the numbers don’t seem to add up. There is a huge debate going on in the Education Department regarding 2-3 grace marks being given to over 50,000 students, but the board is not providing proper any information.

It is being said that without the grace marks, the pass percentage would have been lower than last year. The minister is not speaking about the grace marks, and officials are not providing any information leading to questions being raised if the authorities are hiding the numbers out of fear of losing face.

This year, the education minister announced that the pass percentage is 58 and that no grace marks were awarded. However, the Education Department didn’t disclose that students who scored 2, 3, or 4 marks less than the passing marks were given grace marks to push them through.

The board did reveal that over 8,000 students were given grace marks to pass the PUC II exams. But surprisingly, the Education Department hasn’t provided any information on how many students received grace marks in the SSLC exams. According to some officials, it’s alleged that over 50,000 students were given grace marks. The actions of the minister and officials have raised suspicions about the grace marks system.