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Journalism of Courage
The Karnataka government Thursday proposed a significant relaxation in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination passing criteria, reducing the overall passing criteria from 35% to 33%. A draft notification issued by the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) recommends lowering the minimum subject-wise passing mark from 35 per cent to 30 per cent and introducing an overall pass requirement of 33 per cent average marks combining internal and external assessments.
The proposed change states that candidates shall be declared pass if they secure an average of 33% marks when internal assessments and external examinations are combined; score at least 206 out of 625 total marks, and obtain a minimum of 30% marks in each subject.
Currently, SSLC students are required to score a minimum of 35% marks in each subject to be declared a pass, regardless of their overall aggregate score. There is no formal provision to pass based on an overall average. The newly proposed system introduces flexibility by allowing students to compensate for relatively weak performance in one subject with better scores in others, provided they clear the minimum 30% threshold in each.
D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, KAMS (Karnataka Association Managements of English Medium Schools), said, “This is a welcome move. Such reforms in SSLC examination evaluation will help nearly one crore students across the state. At the same time, the government should also consider reducing the evaluation marks for first language in SSLC down to 100 from 125, to ensure parity with other boards.”
The move also comes in the wake of declining pass percentage in SSLC exams owing to web-casting system, which aims to curb malpractice. The overall SSLC pass percentage was recorded at 83% in AY 2022-23. However, with the introducing of web casting system in 2023-24, the pass percentage in SSLC (exam 1) plummeted to 54% and was later enhanced with grace marks to 74%.
However, the board and education minister Madhu Bangarappa faced heat from chief minister Siddaramaiah for awarding grace marks to enhance the pass percentage. Meanwhile, in AY 2024-25 the pass percentage in SSLC (exam 1) improved to 66%, with the web casting system.
