The overall pass percentage in the recently held higher secondary examinations saw an improvement in the district this year compared to last year, but at the same time the district slipped in the rankings at the State-level this time.
District Collector S. Jayandhi, while releasing the data on Friday, said that the overall pass percentage had increased from 95.20 in 2016 to 96.05 this year.
The Education Department sources said that the district had slipped from the sixth place at the State level in the overall pass percentage last year to the eighth place this year despite the fact that the overall pass percentage had steadily risen from 2013.
In 2013, the overall pass percentage in the district was 92.89 which went up every year to 94.12 in 2014, 94.31 in 2015, 95.20 in 2016, and 96.05 in 2017.
Chief Education Officer S. Shanthi said that of the 25,042 students (11,183 boys and 13,859 girls) from 189 schools who wrote the examinations in the district, 24,052 students (10,594 boys and 13,458 girls) passed.
The 60 government schools in the district collectively improved the performances this year when compared to 2016. Of the 8,153 students who wrote the examinations 93.77 per cent passed compared to the 92.83 per cent in 2016.
Seven corporation/municipality schools in the district too improved the collective pass percentage from 86.77 last year to 90.26 per cent this year.
A total of 89 schools, which include 68 matriculation schools, 11 government schools, six self-finance schools and four aided schools, scored 100 per cent pass.
Education Department officials said that it was a welcome move that district toppers were not announced this time, as was the usual practise.
This will avoid unhealthy competitions among the schools and efforts to seek publicity through the performance of the students, an official said.
