The Director of Matriculation Schools has issued a directive asking all schools in the state under his purview to avoid advertising and promoting examination toppers.
In the directive, it is stated that schools should refrain from promoting select students performing well by publishing their names and photographs on banners or as media advertisements. “We request all schools to avoid this. The school education department wants students to have less stress and promote healthy competition,” the directive stated.
A day before the Plus 2 results were announced on May 12, the School Education Department in a GO said that it was doing away with the system of announcing the names of students who have scored the top marks in the state as rank holders. The G.O had specified that the move was undertaken to prevent students from feeling stressed out about their marks and to promote healthy competition instead.
A senior official from the School Education Department said that the directive was issued to all schools on Tuesday after it came to light that a few schools had published advertisements in newspapers and had put up banners with photos and names of high scoring students.
“The whole point of the G.O. was to avoid such unhealthy practices and a few schools have been going against the intentions of the Education Department. The directive asks all schools to read the G.O. carefully and ensured that it is implemented in the best possible way.” he said.
The results for the SSLC examinations are to be released on May 19. “The department is also issuing the directive now to ensure that more schools don’t indulge in putting up banners or ads after the tenth results are published this week as well,” the principal of a private matriculation school said.
The move to refrain from announcing of state ranks was hailed by academics and experts as it was majorly seen as a move to reduce the over emphasis on marks as well as to prevent the promotion of rank holders aggressively when admissions season began for schools.
