Don8217;t pass out, here everybody flunks

There are at least 55 secondary schools in the State which have been scoring zero-per cent result in the SSC examination for the past five years. Of the total 5,600-odd schools, about 700 have been scoring less than 20 per cent result for the same period.

Perhaps, they will continue to produce similar results for several more years as nothing changes here. 8220;The office of district education officer DEO is not giving no objection certificate NoC to appoint a new principal,8221; says principal in-charge B.K. Patel of the Asian High School.

Principal is just one of the problems. Against the required strength of six teachers, theAsian school has only four. The school makes do with just one peon; two posts are vacant. This means some unpleasant job for the teachers. 8220;Sometimes when the peon is on leave, we have to ring the bell,8221; says Govindbhai Chuvadia, one of the teachers.

However, teachers blame the students8217; poor family background for the dismal performance in SSC. 8220;Most of our students come from extremely poor families. Many parents being daily-wagers, they pay little attention to their children8217;s education,8221; says Patel. Some students are from such poor families that they cannot even pay the SSC examination fee of about Rs 150, says Ashok Patel, another teacher.

The teachers also blame dismal education quality in municipal primary schools, from which most student take admission to Asian High School8217;s class VIII. 8220;The students we get in class VIII are so dull at studies that they cannot even write their own name,8221; says Patel. 8220;We have to start from scratch. We teach them alphabets in class VIII. How can they understanda word of maths or science?8221;

Besides, many students work part-time to support their families, leaving little time for studies. Says Ajit G. Rana, a class X student who works in a ready-made garment factory and earns about Rs 40 daily, 8220;I hardly get time for studies.8221;

Getting tough with the students is counter-productive, say teachers. 8220;If a students has not done homework and I send him home as a punishment, he will give up studies,8221; says Patel. Failing students in class VIII or IX also ineffective. 8220;How many students can we fail? After all, we need students to run the classes,8221; he explains.

Despite having students who do not even know elementary grammar or maths, teachers go on to complete the syllabi. 8220;It is pointless to teach these students maths or science when they cannot do simple multiplication,8221; Patel says, pointing to some algebraic equations written on the black-board.

Arpan Education High School, Pittalia Pol, Sarangpur, is no different. The SSC results are abysmal: while no studentpassed the exam in March 1998, only one cleared it this year. In March 1997, only three students passed the examination.

The clerk Prahladbhai Patel says that most students work part-time. 8220;Many students leave for work during recess. We often have to guard at the main entrance to ensure that students do not run away,8221; says Sushilaben Shah, a teacher. The school also blames the municipal schools for herding the students into the next class without giving them even basic education.

Gujarat Secondary Education Board GSEB chairman G.D. Vyas says the board has identified 1,000 low-performance schools and has devised a plan to improve their quality. An expert committee has submitted a report on reforming these schools, and GSEB 8220;is analysing it8221;, he says.