66 lakh students to fail class X and XII exams in 2023, education ministry report shows

Nearly 66 lakh students failed to clear their Class X and XII examinations in 2023, according to a report by the Ministry of Education. The report, which assessed the Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards of 2023, said there is a significant performance gap between students from central and state boards.

Students from the central board had a failure rate of six per cent in class X and 12 per cent in class XII. In contrast, students from state boards had higher failure rates, with 16 per cent failing in class X and 18 per cent failing in class XII. About 33.5 lakh students could not progress from class X to class XI due to absence or failure.

The report also revealed that 32.4 lakh students did not complete their secondary education. The report, which covered 59 examination boards, including three national and 56 state boards, noted an overall decline in student performance compared to 2022, attributing it to an expanded curriculum.

The analysis highlighted different syllabi in different boards, with some states such as Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal maintaining their own curricula. The duration of the examinations also varied, with examinations for class X ranging from eight days in Bihar to 34 days under the CBSE. In class XII, the duration ranged from 10 days in Bihar to 63 days in Punjab.

Language choice affected exam performance; Hindi and English were the most popular media, but Marathi, Punjabi and Bengali speakers achieved the highest pass rates. There was also an improvement in pass rates for students from socio-economically disadvantaged groups, including girls and students from SC and ST communities.

In government schools, more girls than boys registered for the Class X examinations, but in private schools the trend was reversed. The report detailed preferences for streams, with 43 per cent of students opting for science, 39 per cent for arts, 13 per cent for commerce and three per cent for vocational streams, with girls dominating the arts stream and boys for science.

Considerable disparities in the results of the 10th and 12th boards within states like Odisha and West Bengal highlighted the need for a uniform system of governance and consistent standards. However, states like Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Manipur saw a narrowing of the performance gap between the two board examinations.

(With input from agencies.)