RECENTLY the media went to town celebrating the impressive percentages of successes and the breath-taking marks scored by toppers in the Higher Secondary (or Plus Two) Examinations held in Tamil Nadu and in the Class 12 examinations of the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE).

One feature common to both, and indeed to examinations of previous years as well, was about girls outshining boys in the overall number of passes and toppers. In the Plus Two examinations, the pass percentage of girls was 79.3 as against 74.1 of boys, the first three places being taken by girls (with the third rank shared by a boy). In the CBSE, again, successful girls (83.1 per cent) left the boys (73.1 per cent) far behind. The same trend of girls outpacing boys was visible across different regions.

Is it that the absorbing capacity, concentration, studiousness, industriousness, intellectual curiosity and urge to achieve are greater in girls? Parents as well as the student community, in general, and boys, in particular, must mull over the reasons and draw the appropriate lessons.

The results hold within them some areas of disquiet. The number passing and that too with the maximum (or close to the maximum) marks is in itself staggering.

There was a time when getting centum even in science subjects was considered a feat. These days in languages and humanities scoring an unbelievable 190 to 196 out of 200 is nothing unusual, the toppers walking away with total marks of anywhere between 1180 and 1190 out of 1200. One can only hope that educational authorities have made sure of the strictest norms being applied to the valuation process and the valuation being entrusted to persons well-versed in the subjects.

In the course of the TV programme, We, the people telecast on May 29, some eminent Principals of famous schools themselves stated that they found valuing being done by persons who were poor in the subjects.

Also, it would seem that the number of papers to be valued by a person is often so large that (s)he goes about it in a careless and casual fashion showering high marks as that is the only way of avoiding a demand for revaluation.

Vitiating the quality of education can put paid to India's dream of being a developed country by 2020.

B. S. Raghavan

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