Officials blame it on teachers

HYDERABAD: The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad have stood last in the Secondary School Certificate public examinations obtaining a mere 61.59 pass percentage.
Senior school education department officials attribute this comparatively low pass percentage to ‘extremely lethargic’ teachers.
“It is the primary reason,� a senior school education department official told The Times of India on Thursday after the SSC results were declared.“Teachers in the city lead a far more luxurious life, are on leave for at least half the year, while their counterparts in districts do not have too many distractions and concentrate on teaching,� he observed.
The students in the city, especially from government schools, are involved in various activities and are away from school for long hours while students from other schools are forced to take part in programmes organised by the government, have numerous holidays and other activities, the official said.
Another reason, he said, was that Hyderabad has the highest number of child labourers and this affects their education. “In most cases, the children attend classes for only half the day while for the rest half they work,� he said.
This is so despite various bridge courses and schemes introduced by the state government. “Hyderabad is a growing city and we have a healthy construction activity throughout the year. The only time it decreases is during the summer and that is when most of the courses too have their breaks,� he said.
One more reason for the city performing miserably is the shift system in the schools where primary classes are held in the forenoon, and middle and high classes in the afternoon. “Teachers are unable to devote enough time to students and in most of the cases this is making it difficult to finish the syllabus,� the official said.
“The school education department has been discussing these issues over the past two days. The government will look into all these aspects and take corrective measures,� the official added.