Class 10 pass percentage soars, so do ‘compartments’

NEW DELHI - As the number of students passing the CBSE 10th board exam shot up Friday, so did the ‘compartments’ - those scoring less than 33 percent — now called ‘eligible for improvement of performance’.

The number of students in the newly introduced category rose 1.31 percent compared to those who got ‘compartment’, or less than 33 percent in a subject (grades E1 and E2), last year.

This is despite a rise of 0.44 percent in the percentage of students passing the annual exam.

The rise has been attributed to the easing of barrier for ‘compartment’.

The new system allows students getting less than qualifying grades even in all five subjects a chance to take the exam again in July to improve their grades.

Not only this but these students will get five attempts to clear their papers. Until last year, students with failing marks in over two subjects were not allowed to appear for ‘compartment’ exams.

“The new CBSE system started this year has neither toppers or losers,” a CBSE official said.

“The board has done away not only with declaration of percentage but has also given up terms like ‘fail’ and ‘compartment’,” he said.

Almost 10.65 percent students are eligible for ‘improvement of performance’ this year against 9.34 percent last year. This totals 94,364 students.

The results Friday divide students into two categories: ones with pass grades are ‘Eligible for Qualifying Certificate’ and those with grades below the passing level are ‘Eligible for Improvement of Performance’.

“We want to give all students a chance. The stigma of failing should be done away with,” CBSE spokesperson Rama Sharma said.

–Indo Asian News Service