Number of students failing class 10 & 12 board exams drops; More girls now choosing science stream

From 65 lakh students failing Class 10 and 12 board exams in 2023, the number is down to 51.27 lakh in 2024 but worries persist as Open School efforts to help lakhs of students bridge over the boards continue to be far less than satisfactory.

STATE WISE

Apart from Madhya Pradesh, the hill states of Meghalaya, J&K and Himachal Pradesh have posted the lowest pass percentage in 2024 boards. But there are silver linings as well. Girl students are increasingly opting for the Science stream and conversations have started within the ministry to ensure higher education access for them close home. ET takes a look at the latest analysis of 2024 school boards conducted by the Union education ministry.

CLASS X BOARDS 2024

• 26.6 lakh regular school students did not make it to class 11, 4.43 lakh did not turn up for the board exams and 22.17 lakh failed
• Of 6.98 lakh students enrolled in Open Schools, just 3.4 lakh passed posting an unimpressive 54% pass percentage compared to 88.1% for regular school
• On the top: Kerala (99.96%), Odisha (98%) and Manipur (97.8%)
• Bottom list: Meghalaya (56%), Madhya Pradesh (59%) and J&K (68%)

CLASS XII BOARDS

24.76 regular school students did not complete class 12, 20.16 lakh failed while 4.6 lakh did not appear
8.5 lakh students registered with Open School, 4.49 lakh passed it
Top list: Rajasthan (97.8%), Manipur (97.3%), Tamil Nadu (94.6%), Punjab (93.1%)
Bottom list: Madhya Pradesh (66.8%), J&K (67.3%), Himachal Pradesh (74.6%)

LAST DECADE NUMBERS

• Over the last decade (2013-2024), passing percentage in Class 10 boards improved across all states, except Karnataka and J&K while it persisted at same levels in Meghalaya and MP. Against 58.1 lakh students scoring over 60% in 2013, the figure is 92 lakh in 2024, a 58.4% jump
• In Class 12, over the last decade, pass percentage improved across all states, except MP, Uttar Pradesh and HP. 80 lakh students scored over 60% in Class 12 boards compared to 43.1 lakh in 2013, a 85.8% rise
• More girls passed out from the Science stream than Humanities in Class 12 in 2024- marking a new trend. Overall too, 9 lakh more students have passed out from the Science stream in 2024 compared to 2023, taking the figure to 61 lakh as compared to the 36.3 lakh in 2013, posting a 68.2% rise
• States which have reported high failure rate show poor Open School/ NIOS penetration, except MP which is a cause of concern
• Gender divides, however, persist. More girls are passing out of government schools while parents appear to prefer sending their male child to private schools.