Girls outperform boys, again

Nagpur: Girls outperformed boys in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 result declared on Wednesday, recording 88.86% nationally against 82.13% for boys, a gap of 6.73 percentage points. The gender gap widened from 5.94 percentage points last year, when girls recorded 91.64% and boys 85.70%. In Maharashtra, the trend held firm. Girls in the state posted 88.66% against 85.65% for boys, a gap of three percentage points. Of the 18,405 girls registered in the state, 18,342 appeared and 16,262 passed. Among boys, 21,598 were registered, 21,506 appeared and 18,420 passed. The gender gap was visible across regions as well. In Pune region, which covers all Maharashtra CBSE schools, girls recorded 88.95% against 85.92% for boys. In the Trivandrum region, which topped the national regional chart, girls posted 97.22% against 93.91% for boys. Even in the bottom-ranked Prayagraj region, girls at 78.69% outpaced boys at 68.02%, a gap of more than 10 percentage points. The pattern repeated across institution types. In Kendriya Vidyalayas, girls recorded a higher pass percentage than boys. In independent schools, which account for the bulk of CBSE affiliates, the gender gap was similarly pronounced. Among the six institution categories tracked by CBSE, girls outperformed boys in every single one. Among foreign schools, girls posted 92.23% against 88.69% for boys. Of the 12,292 girls registered from foreign schools, 11,321 passed. Among boys, 11,755 were registered and 10,407 passed.All three transgender candidates who appeared for the examination cleared it, recording a 100% pass percentage.Both genders recorded a dip compared with last year. Boys fell 3.57 percentage points while girls dropped 2.78 percentage points, meaning boys absorbed a steeper decline.