Latest news with #PAFRE
New Indian Express
10-08-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
RTE group in Karnataka opposes cut in Class 10 passing marks, says it will degrade edu standards
BENGALURU: The People's Alliance for Fundamental Right to Education (PAFRE) has strongly opposed the Siddaramaiah-led government's amendment to the Karnataka School Examination and Evaluation Board Act, 1966, calling it a threat to the quality of education in the state. The amendment allows Class 10 students to be declared 'passed' if they score at least 33% combined marks in written and internal assessments, and a minimum of 30% in each subject. PAFRE Convener Prof Niranjanaradhya said this move will degrade education standards, making examinations a tick-box exercise rather than a true test of learning. The group warned that reducing pass marks risks weakening already struggling Kannada-medium schools and could undermine the Kannada language and cultural identity. It urged all pro-Kannada organisations to oppose it. 'Instead of addressing deep-rooted issues like teacher shortages and poor infrastructure, the government is lowering the bar to inflate pass percentages,' the group stated in a letter to the Board's president. The coalition highlighted severe staffing gaps and said that many primary schools have no teachers at all, around 8,000 schools operate with only one teacher, often handling multiple classes and subjects, even some high schools have just one teacher and in Kalyana Karnataka, nearly half of all teaching posts remain vacant. In the letter, Niranjanaradhya blamed declining learning levels partly on the diversion of teachers into non-academic duties. 'Teachers are increasingly engaged in administrative and extracurricular tasks,' he said. He asked the government to provide basic facilities and ensure that teachers can focus solely on teaching.
New Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Fix dropout rate in high schools: PAFRE tells Karnataka government
BENGALURU: POINTING to the high dropout rate of 22.1% among high school students in Karnataka, which is much higher than the national average of 14.1%, the People's Alliance for Fundamental Right to Education (PAFRE) has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, asking him to focus on solving 'long-term' problems in the education system instead of blaming officials for the poor SSLC results. PAFRE welcomed the CM's concern, expressed during a recent review meeting, over the fall in SSLC pass percentages, especially in backward regions like Kalyana Karnataka. However, the group said that reprimanding education officers alone won't help improve results. Instead, it stressed the need to improve the overall learning system from Class 1 to Class 10, especially in government and aided schools where most children come from poor and disadvantaged families. Chief convenor of the group Professor Niranjanaradhya VP explained that exam results are just the final stage and if children do not receive quality education and support from the beginning, expecting better results is unfair. He added that the current system does not give students the learning environment, teachers, and leadership. 'Karnataka's high school dropout rate must be addressed immediately if the government wants to see long-term improvements,' he said. The RTE group asked the state government to prepare a three-year action plan to bring all schools up to standard.
