SSC exams are on and officials at the helm of the education wing in Municipal Administration Department are keeping their fingers crossed. The education wing in the civic corporation has walked an extra mile this year to equip students of the municipal schools with the wherewithal to pass their exams with flying colours.
“We expect that at least 500 of our students will score 10 CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) this year,” said K. Chittibabu, consultant to the education wing of the Municipal Administration department.
A total of 26,000 students from 321 municipal high schools across the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh are taking the public exams. The officials’ expectations have gone up manifold this year given the fact that only 49 students from municipal schools had scored cent per cent marks last year (2016-17) and a mere 11 top ranks before that (2015-16). Their confidence apparently stems from the extraordinary efforts by the teaching staff in preparing the students. A new star-grading system was put in place as early as November last year.
Star-grading
“Based on their academic capacity which reflected in the marks obtained in the regular Summative Assessment tests, students were divided in categories of one, two and three-star groups.” (Students securing below 50% marks were categorised as single-star group, those who got 51% and 80% were segregated as two-star group and the ones securing above 81% were identified as three-star group.
Under a programme called ‘Spark’, they were given question banks and were made to write special tests that, the officials contend, helped them gear up for the exams.
Introduction of junior colleges
Majority of students studying in municipal schools comprise the poorest of the poor. Almost 80% of them are from SC, ST the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward sections. The government’s proposal to start junior colleges run by the municipal administration wing is aimed at paving the way for smooth transition of the 10th passouts to these colleges.
The department started first junior college last year (2017-18 academic year) in Nellore. In the current academic year, Vijayawada, Guntur and Visakhapatnam municipal corporations have applied for new junior colleges to the Director of the Board of Intermediate Education.
The government plan to introduce mid-day meal scheme in the new junior colleges will go a long way in strengthening the education system in the municipal institutions, feel the officials.
