HSC results 2025: Educationists raise concerns as passing percentage in arts stream drops by 10% in 4 year
Last year, the passing percentage rate was 85.88 per cent, 84.05 per cent in 2023 and 90.51 per cent in 2022, indicating that the passing percentage in arts stream has dropped 10 per cent in four years.
Hrishikesh Soman, former principal of the Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, told The Indian Express, 'It is a matter of concern. Why are so many people failing in the arts stream in the 12th standard? Many factors have to be checked and verified such as teaching methodology, sincerity of the students, and overall attitude of the junior college.'
Soman said that it was difficult to exactly point out the reason behind this pass percentage. 'You can't really draw a conclusion without the relevant data but it is possible that students scoring poorly in Class 10 have chosen arts. Over a period of time, this could have resulted a drop in the passing percentage, as the Class 12 exam is more difficult. Science and commerce are the streams that probably high scorers are opting for.'
He added that for colleges like Fergusson or Symbiosis, where the cutoffs are relatively high, the arts stream does not face such an issue.
On the possible improvement measures that could be taken to address this issue, Soman said, 'There is no short term solution. With the National Education Policy being implemented gradually, we have to wait for a couple of years. Because in NEP, not just the content but the methodology is also going to change. So, with its proper implementation, there is a possibility of a change in the overall arts stream.'
Mahendra Ganpule, former head of Maharashtra School Principals Association, attributed the drop in the passing percentage to lack of student interest in arts careers and coaching industry in the science stream.
'There is no seriousness about a career in arts, and just to complete higher education, people are enrolling in it. There is not much awareness about careers in arts field…The quality of teachers is similar in science and maths, but the external coaching and tie-ups in these subjects help the students. However, there is not much thought about this in arts stream.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
This dementia risk factor is modifiable: Lancet study in Karnataka flags household air pollution
Users of polluting cooking fuels like charcoal, kerosene, crop residue, wood or dung cake and those preparing food over an open fire pit may be at a higher risk of cognitive impairment (a decline in memory, thinking and reasoning ability) like dementia, according to a new analysis. Published in the Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia, the analysis was based on data from rural Karnataka. The participants were part of the ongoing prospective cohort study, Centre for Brain Research-Srinivaspura Aging, Neuro Senescence, and COGnition (CBR-SANSCOG). Researchers from the Centre for Brain Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, which funded the study, told The Indian Express that the aim was to investigate the relationship between household air pollution (HAP), cognitive functions (thinking, reasoning, memory-building, language, perception and decision-making) and brain structure. They found that the group that used polluting cooking fuels had poorer cognitive functions than those using clean cooking fuels. With recent statistical data showing that 57% of rural households still use polluting cooking fuels, changing fuels could lower risk in the rural Indian population (which has been found to have a significantly higher prevalence of dementia than the urban Indian population). This is a specific type of indoor air pollution, which primarily results from the use of polluting cooking technology — coal stoves, biomass stoves, earthen stoves and polluting fuels such as firewood, cow dung cake, coal, lignite or charcoal and kerosene. All of these produce gaseous toxins. As of 2020, according to the WHO, 3.2 million premature deaths occurred worldwide from illnesses attributed to HAP. These include ischaemic heart disease, stroke and chronic pulmonary conditions. In India, as of 2019, 0.81 million deaths were attributed to HAP. The 2019–21 National Family Health Survey-5 reported that 41.4 per cent of households in India lacked access to clean cooking fuels. This disparity was more pronounced in rural areas, where 56.8 per cent of households used polluting cooking fuels, compared to 10.3 per cent in urban areas. Participants were classified into three groups – those using only polluting cooking fuels, those using at least one polluting cooking fuel and those using clean cooking fuels. Then their cognitive functions were evaluated. The group that reported using only polluting cooking fuels had the worst cognitive functions, followed by the group using at least one polluting cooking fuel in comparison to those using clean cooking fuels. The study also found that women participants, who are likely to be more exposed than men, could be more vulnerable to damage as evidenced by lower volumes of the hippocampus, a key brain region for learning and memory. This usually leads to dementia.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
RU proposes teaching roles for research scholars amid faculty shortage
1 2 Jaipur: In a strategic move to address faculty shortages and enhance the academic experience, the University of Rajasthan 's academic council has recommended that research scholars be allowed to teach regular classes alongside their doctoral studies. However, the decision on whether they will teach postgraduate (PG) or undergraduate (UG) classes, or both, remains pending. This proposal, discussed in a council meeting on Wednesday, suggests that enrolled research students could be assigned six to ten teaching periods per week. "With this, the researchers will not only be able to gain teaching experience in the university but the teaching work of vacant classes affected due to shortage of teachers in the university will also be smoothened," stated an official release from the university. This initiative comes as the university grapples with over 60% of its teaching posts currently vacant. In addition to this proposal, the council recommended adopting new PhD admission rules issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC). These rules eliminate the need for a PhD entrance examination, allowing admissions to be based directly on the National Eligibility Test (NET) and other equivalent examinations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Flexible Phone Plans for Small Biz Undo The meeting also saw the adoption of UGC Regulations 2018 concerning the selection and promotion of teachers under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS). Officials noted that this would facilitate appointments to vacant posts and expedite the pending promotion of 400 teachers within the university. Aligning with the National Education Policy, 2020, the academic council proposed replacing all annual courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels with a semester system. Additionally, the council recommended incorporating SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) courses as electives in postgraduate programs. These courses are approved by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. Last year, the university signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Rajasthan Centre for Advance Technology (R-CAT) and TCS, offering 107 Industry Ready online courses at subsidised rates. The academic council has now recommended that students receive credits for these courses if they opt to study them, further enhancing their educational opportunities. This series of recommendations and changes marks a significant step towards modernising the University of Rajasthan's academic framework, aiming to better equip students and faculty for future challenges. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Wastewater surveillance, key tool to spy on diseases, will now cover 50 cities: How will this help prevent outbreaks?
A key public health tool that is crucial to monitor infectious diseases, and identify outbreak trends early, is being strengthened to cover more areas and identify more infections. Wastewater surveillance, which is currently used for polio and Covid-19, is now being deployed to monitor more commonly reported symptoms caused by several pathogens, such as fever, diarrhoea, acute encephalitis syndrome (inflammation of the brain), and respiratory distress. 'We have been doing wastewater surveillance for polio for years. After the pandemic, similar surveillance for Covid-19 was also started in five cities. This will be expanded to ten pathogens across 50 cities over the next six months,' Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), told The Indian Express. Why is this coverage arc significant? Such an expansion has significant public health implications since it is being done with the aim of detecting potential outbreaks early, as well as identifying unusual patterns that may indicate a public health concern. The surveillance will also study patterns of antimicrobial resistance — a global public health threat — that results in the drugs becoming less effective, making it difficult to treat infections. At present, tracking changes in the susceptibility of different pathogens to available antimicrobials is being done through a network of 60 hospitals across the country. 'Now, rather than conducting culture studies only on patients coming to these hospitals, these will also be studied in wastewater,' said Dr Bahl. While antimicrobial resistance surveillance through a hospital network can provide important trends on which drug continues to work for which disease, it cannot track resistance patterns in the community. Wastewater surveillance, on the other hand, can capture these patterns — even in those who might not go to a hospital for treatment. How will the surveillance be carried out? The enhanced surveillance will be carried out through the ICMR's (Indian Council of Medical Research) flagship national network of Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories: specialised facilities that focus on the diagnosis, research and surveillance of viral diseases. In the next few months, these laboratories will supplement the findings from patient samples with surveillance of pathogens discharged in wastewater. What's the current surveillance status in India? There is already strong syndromic surveillance for respiratory infections and influenza-like illnesses — instituted after the 2009 swine flu pandemic and strengthened during Covid-19. Around 1,500 samples from patients, who go to hospitals with respiratory symptoms, are tested every week through this national network of laboratories, according to Dr Bahl. Earlier, the network passively monitored whatever samples were sent by the hospitals but now the labs actively seek out the samples needed to maintain surveillance. This helps keep an eye on which respiratory diseases — viral infections such as Covid-19, H1N1, or RSV — are in circulation. It also helps pre-empt outbreaks, allowing the public health system, hospitals, and clinics to prepare for them. Similar syndromic surveillance for fevers, diarrhoea and encephalitis has been initiated recently through the laboratory network. Now, the surveillance will be expanded to wastewater in the coming months. Such surveillance also helps in quickly identifying the pathogen that might be causing an infection by checking the samples for common pathogens that can cause a disease — instead of testing for them one by one. 'And, if we cannot detect the pathogen, then genomic sequencing can be done to find what is causing an outbreak,' said Dr Bahl. Wastewater surveillance proved to be an effective tool in tracking Covid-19. A study from Mumbai shows that the pathogen was detected in wastewater up to three weeks before clinical diagnosis of cases. Another study from Pune showed that silent waves of Covid-19 after the Omicron wave could be detected in wastewater. The XBB variant was detected 130–253 days before it was clinically identified in patients.
