Bring down minimum pass marks for state board students, says pvt schools association

BENGALURU: Private schools in the state have written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking to revise the minimum passing marks for Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) students from 35 to 33 marks.

In a letter to the CM, the Associated Managements of Primary & Secondary Schools in Karnataka pointed out that the minimum passing marks for CBSE and ICSE students was 33 while for state syllabus students, it is 35 marks. The government should revise the passing marks for SSLC students from the current academic year itself, the association said.

The association pointed out that a roundtable meeting with all stakeholders had been held previously, but the Primary Education Department has not acted on the proposal. The letter also said that students were choosing other boards as the passing marks were lesser and added that Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti had also writtent to the government on the issue.

The association further said that other boards take into account the full 20 marks allotted for internal assessment whereas the state board does not. These issues will affect the state board and also the Kannada language and hence, the minimum pass marks should be reduced to 33, it said.

“We have brought the issue of injustice being caused to the state board students earlier too. Due to the disparity, parents prefer to put their children in other board schools, which is affecting the state board. The syllabus for lower and higher primary students is outdated. In the interest of the students, and to create a level playing field, the government should act”, said association general secretary D Shashikumar.