Only 96 CBSE Class XII students scored centum across India: Low scores in physics results may affect aspiring engineers; Educationists say changing the approach to teaching may help

Chennai: CBSE students in the city may find it challenging to get admitted to top engineering colleges this year as low scores in physics may mean falling short of the cut-off mark. Engineering admissions in the state are based on scores in Class XII maths, physics and chemistry."Many students who want to study within the state are worried. The papers, especially physics, have gotten more difficult over the years. The NCERT syllabus must be upgraded proportionally," said Gomathi Ramani, a physics teacher at PSBB Millenium School.This year, there are only 96 students who got centum in physics across the country. Several schools in the city do not have even one centum in the subject, though they performed well previously. A section of school heads, however, said the scores may tally as some students scored well in maths despite the difficulty level. "Students have compensated for the loss of marks in physics by scoring well in maths and chemistry. The cut-off will not be impacted too much," said Sundar, principal, Bala Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Adyar.Educationists said the situation could be avoided by changing the approach to teaching. "In the physics question paper, nothing was out of the syllabus. If students have a stronger grasp of the concept, they can score higher," said Balaji Sampath, an educationist.