Three Class X students from schools in the MMR made it to the national toppers’ list of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the results of which were declared on Monday. While the Trivandrum region secured the first position in the country, the Chennai region, under which Maharashtra falls, occupied the second position, with 99% pass percentage.
The board has recorded an increase of 4.40% in the passing percentage, with girls having done better than boys by 2.31%.
All three toppers from the city, Adree Das of New Horizon Scholars School, Thane, Deepsna Panda of Apeejay School, Nerul, and Dhatri Mehta of Reliance Foundation School, Koparkhairane, secured 99.4%, making it to the list of top 97.
“It just feels unreal. Scoring 99% by hook or crook was my aim, but I did score a tad bit more. I now cannot wait to chase my goal of becoming an astronomer,” said Adree.
Studying hard and maintaining consistency, while spending enough time for playing every day was the key to her success, said Deepsna. “Every day, I finished one part of the portion consistently. I also had enough time in hand to solve sample papers and followed a well-planned time table,” she said.
Teachers and principals, meanwhile, saw a surge in number of students scoring 90% and above this year. While 202 students of R.N. Podar School scored above 90%, 64 students of Rajhans Vidyalaya scored more than 90%.
“We have seen that the students have become more focused and hard working. There is also a competitive spirit that drives them to do better,” Jayashree Khandekar, principal, DAV Public School, Panvel, said. While heads of institutes said most of the papers were easy this year, several students in the city scored better marks in social sciences and languages, with several recording 100 out of 100 in papers.
“The top scoring subject in our school is social studies. Several students have also performed well in Sanskrit and science,” Mamata Bhattacharya, principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Mumbai, said.
“Our students, too, have done exceptionally well in English with 210 of the 273 students scoring above 90 marks in the subject. Our students have not received full marks in social studies this year, but they have done well in it nonetheless,” Suman Samarth, headmistress, R.N. Podar School, said.
Both students and teachers were happy as the board declared its results in the first week of May, as opposed to the usual practice of declaring towards the end of the month.
“Students who wish to apply for institutes abroad will now have time to do so. They can also take their time in selecting colleges and courses, and to undergo career counselling,” J. Mohanty, principal, Delhi Public School, Nerul, said.
