Teachers, Education officials on the edge as SSLC exams begin

DK tried out innovative methods to lift district from lowly 26 position

32,138 students appeared for the first language paper on the first day of the SSLC examination in Dakshina Kannada on Friday. Photo: R. Eswarraj

SSLC examinations began on Friday amid high hopes of bringing back the lost glory of Dakshina Kannada. The district, which was ranked seventh in 2012, slipped to the 26 position in 2013. After widespread criticism of the Education Department, several measures were announced to reverse the trend. In earlier years the district had fared much better.

On Friday, 31,465 of the 32,138 students wrote the first language paper — English, Kannada, Sanskrit and Urdu. As many as 673 students did not turn up.

Teachers worked hard

School teachers exuded confidence that this year the results would be better. “We have done our work. It is now left to the way students perform,” said Vinni D’Souza, Hindi teacher of Government Secondary School in Badaga Yekkur, an old government school in the district, reflecting the effort put in by teachers in improving the performance of students. Ms. D’Souza said teachers were working with underperforming and average students since January.

Dhanalakshmi, Headmaster of Government Upgraded Secondary School in Mullarkadu that started two years ago, said students were made to study in groups with each having average and good performing students.

These groups were given tasks each day and they had to place it during first two hours on each day of the school since February. After school hours, all seven teachers in the school stayed back till 6 p.m. to adsolve problems faced by students, especially the average students. About 80 per cent of the students passed the examination last year.

Lakshman Kudwal, a teacher from Government Secondary School, Kotekar, said his school roped in teachers from better-performing schools to conduct sessions. He said students were also told of way to answer some of the questions. “Difference in the way papers are evaluated by teachers here and those from other places is also a reason for below par performance,” Mr. Kudwal said.

Block Education Officer (Mangalore South) K. Sudhakara said teachers had put in their best. “More than students, we are eager to see the outcome,” he said. This will be the last of the examination in the present syllabus. It will be revised from next year.