Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has directed Director of General Education (DGE) Shanavas S. to give a report on an audio that has surfaced in which the DGE criticises the liberal award of marks in the SSLC examinations.
The remarks had created confusion among the people, and the report was sought in this context, a statement said.
The audio, purportedly from an address made by the DGE at a workshop for preparing SSLC question paper last month, has Mr. Shanavas saying that even students who could not string together a sentence were being given A+ grades and this was a betrayal.
The DGE is heard saying examinations should be a testing mechanism. He was not against letting students pass. Awarding up to 50% marks liberally was acceptable. But it should not be more than that. Anything beyond should be scored on merit alone.
The DGE goes on to say that during his school days only 5,000 students got distinction. Now, 69,000 students were getting A+ every year. Saying everyone should get A or A+ was not a small thing. This was equivalent to telling them they had ability which they did not.
The DGE also took exception to Kerala being clubbed with Bihar last time, saying the State always compared itself to European countries with the best education systems.
The DGE’s remarks have stoked a controversy for it is seen as an acceptance of the criticism that liberal valuation is behind the high pass percentage of students in the SSLC and Plus Two examinations for some years now. In 2022-23, the pass percentage was a record 99.7, with 68,604 students getting A+ in all subjects. The pass percentage in 2021-22 was 99.26, while 44,363 students got A+.
The DGE’s statements comparing CBSE schools with the State education system have also kicked up a storm.
Minister’s reaction
The Minister said a critical opinion on the approach to education that was expressed at an internal workshop should not seen as the government position. “It is not government policy to mechanically improve quality by failing students. The policy is to make an improvement by including all children. The government has no intention to bring about a change in it.”
The Kerala education model was highly acclaimed. It was in the forefront in national education quality rankings, and UNICEF too had commended the State’s public education sector. The General Education department was engaged in strengthening this model, Mr. Sivankutty said.
Other responses
The Kerala Higher Secondary Teachers’ Union has termed the remarks serious. Recent studies and surveys on quality of education underlined the need to look into these remarks, it said. The status of a majority of students who secured grades ranging from D+ to A was a cause for concern in view of the DGE’s remarks. Before the State embarks on a new curriculum, it should be published in full, the KHSTU said, urging the government to take steps to address these apprehensions.
The Kerala Pradesh School Teachers’ Association said it was ironical that the authorities who were responsible for ensuring quality were saying that valuation was too liberal.
The Aided Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association has called for an investigation into the statement. Only students deserving A+ should be awarded the grade. However, too liberal a valuation to improve results was not what was needed. The AHSTA said it would welcome any move to improve quality of students. The DGE’s remarks that awarding marks according to precise guidelines would create an able generation were welcome.
