60 pc is no longer first class The 95 pc generation !
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 13 2018 -

It is raining marks, marks as understood in the Class XII board examinations.

Technically 60 pc may be a first division, but in reality today this is nothing much more than a simple pass.

Take a look at the reality.

With over 12 thousand students scoring 95 pc and above in the just announced Class XII examination results conducted by the CBSE and many more thousands coming in just a notch or two behind, there just does not seem to be any room for students who manage to score a respectable 75 pc or even 80 pc.

It is more or less the same with students coming from the CISCE.

No wonder some colleges in India, including the well known St Xavier’s Kolkata is understood to have different yard sticks to measure the scores of students coming from CBSE, CISCE (ISC) and the West Bengal Board.

For those who managed to crack NEET and the JEE, the marks that one scores in the Class XII board exams may not mean much but not all are meant to be doctors and engineers and many will have to throng colleges which offer the three year degree courses.

And remember not all are Science students and students from Commerce and Humanities will have to undergo the three year degree course and hence getting admission into some of the better placed colleges becomes a stiff competition amongst the students.

Anxious days for the students and their parents and guardians.

The interesting question is, is this a case of students now becoming so smart that scoring a 100 out of 100 even in a subjective paper like English is something which is not unthinkable ?

No wonder reputed colleges from reputed universities have set the cut off for admission as high as 98, 97, 96 pc.

St Stephen’s has already announced its cut off list and a look at the list will convey the point that is sought to be made here.

The trend will continue when Delhi University comes out with its first cut off list on June 19.

It is not only Delhi University but also some other reputed colleges spread across different universities in the country.

Young students doing well is good, but yet at the same time the manner in which marks are rewarded is not above questioning.

The Sangai Express does not know the parameters used in marking the answer scripts of the students, but when a 100 is scorable even in subjects like English then a relook at the system may be just what the doctor prescribed.

The interesting question is, is the high scoring trend an indication that students are now smarter than their elders or is it a case of the syllabus so scientifically structured that it becomes easier for the students to score.

This is a multi-million dollar question, but remember there was a time not so long back when scoring 60 pc was more than respectable.

In a State like Manipur, there was a time when the number of students passing the Class X and Class XII (then PUC) examinations in the first division did not cross the figure of 50.

And it was during those days when a 57 pc or a 58 pc was considered good enough or a high second division.

It is raining marks, but it is still to be seen whether the high marks scored in the examinations will mean anything constructive in the real practical world.