Even as the Ajit Jogi government announced that it will not force students to stick to the CBSE curriculum, the cover-up bid brought little cheer since nearly 4,000 students have already left CBSE schools fearing low grades in the board examinations.It was only last year that the Chhattisgarh government had introduced CBSE curriculum in the matriculation and plus-two levels in tribal districts and 108 schools in non-tribal districts. But the blunder was soon exposed, as only eight per cent of the students crossed the secondary barrier and the pass percentage of plus-two students slipped from 30 to 40 this year. ‘‘The CBSE course was imposed on us and we had no option to revert to the state board,’’ says Praveen Aggarwal, a former Class XII student at Government H.S. School, Raipur.‘‘It’s now up to the students to pick either the CBSE or the Chhattisgarh Board of School Education pattern. All schools in Chhattisgarh will offer both patterns simultaneously,’’ Chief Minister Ajit Jogi said. But not before thousands of students moved out of CBSE schools. In Raipur town alone, nearly 1,000 students have moved to Chhattisgarh board schools. Some of the CBSE schools — those notified for teaching only the CBSE syllabus — have lost over 60 per cent students. ‘‘We have issued, not less than 15O transfer certificates to students in the past one month,’’ says a school principal in Damtari. Now, the government’s announcement that the students may choose between CBSE and the Chhattisgarh board has triggered another crisis, with almost 90 per cent students wanting to return to the old syllabus. ‘‘We have not withdrawn the CBSE course. Those willing to study in the CBSE pattern will be provided separate teaching staff,’’ says Director of School Education B.P. Netam. But his claims seem hollow as schools in tribal belts do not even have basic amenities, let alone teachers. The non-availability of CBSE books had also contributed to the poor results this year.Though State Education Minister Satya Narain Sharma claims the government has already taken up ‘‘remedial measures’’ like arranging books and training teachers in the CBSE curriculum, the scene has hardly changed in state-run schools. Sources say the forthcoming Assembly elections will add to the woes of the students, as most teachers will be occupied with election duty.
