Over 50,000 students from 406 higher secondary schools in Chennai will be taking the State Board Higher Secondary Class XII examinations, beginning March 1.
According to the Directorate of Government Examinations, the exam will be conducted across 140 centres.
Students, schools and teachers are gearing up for the examination, with several schools keeping their doors open to students who have doubts in the subject material. Last year, the State secured a pass percentage of 86.7 per cent in the exams, and Chennai, 90.4 per cent.
T.N. Venkatesh, joint commissioner (education), Chennai Corporation said that close to 7,000 students from Corporation-run schools will be taking the examination this year. He said that they were aiming to increase the previous year’s pass percentage of 84.8 per cent.
“We have given students special material with mark-wise questions for each chapter and are also conducting special classes after school hours. Maths, commerce and accounts are what pulled us down, so we are focussing on those subjects this year,” he said. “We also gave them motivational talks so that they do not get stressed out,” he added.
At the Avvai Home TVR Girls Higher Secondary School, P. Amuthavani, a science student, said that she was revising important questions marked in school, mainly through question banks. M. Hemamalini, another student said they had the phone numbers of all their teachers, and called them whenever they had a doubt.
Voicing the concern of many students was M. Velayudhan, a student of a Chennai School said that conducting another revision examination would have helped students build up speed to finish the long answers.
S. Vignesh, who studies at a government school and is aiming at scoring above 900, said that he was concentrating on mathematics and English grammar, which teachers said many students found challenging.
A headmaster of a Chennai School said they had secured a pass percentage of 77 per cent last year, and were working hard towards bringing it up to 90 per cent.
“We are giving special attention to those who score below 30 per cent, and are helping them with additional material and attention,” he said.
V. Jayalakshmi, who teaches maths at a Chennai School, said that she urges students to attempt all the questions. “Many do not attempt practical sums and lose marks,” she said.
