90% score may not assure college seat

MUMBAI: The much-awaited SSC results have surely brought joy to several students, considering that a higher number of candidates have scored 90% and above this year than last year. This joy, however, might not reflect on the faces of state board students when they vie for seats at the city’s top colleges along with hordes of ICSE and CBSE Class-X students, especially since the number of students scoring 90% and above has increased several folds in both the central board examinations this year.
Close to 6,000 state board students had crossed 90% in 2009; the numbers increased sharply to 13,456 in 2010. The sudden rise was attributed to the best-five policy and a similar trend was expected in this year’s result as well. However, only about 1,000 more students have managed to scale this mark this year.
“Even though the number of students who scored above 90% has increased this year, it is not on par with the numbers at other central boards. This might directly affect state board students’ chances of getting seats at the top city colleges,” said an educationist, who did not wish to be quoted.
This year, the ICSE results saw many more students score 90% and above. So much so that several city-based ICSE schools reported more than 50% of their students securing the high scores. For example, at Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu, 124 out of the class of 261 scored above 90%. Even at Chhatrabhuj Narsee Monjee, out of the class of 292 students, 150 had scored above 90%.
Similarly, CBSE Class-X results saw a rise in the number of students scoring between 9 and 10 CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average), where students had scored 90% and above in their exams.
“This is definitely not a good trend. The system is feeding students with such marks and students too are enjoying the attention. The race to the top colleges will only get more and more fierce and students will bear the brunt of these scores in the end,” said Carl Laurie, principal at Christ Church High School in Mazagaon.
“It is not fair to compare SSC marks with the other boards. In the CBSE board, 60% of the marks are based on projects and class work and only 40% on the written examination. State board students have to give 80% of the total marks in theory and only 20% is based on projects and assignments,” said Ujjwaladevi Patil, board chairperson, Pune.
Junior college admissions will begin on June 22 and students can fill their online forms till July 7. Once the merit lists are announced online, college heads are worried that more and more students will be left disheartened this year. “The cut-offs have been increasing over the years and getting a seat in the top colleges will once again get difficult this year,” said Indu Shahani, principal of HR College.
One of the 100% scorers had sought admission to her college last year.