Covid-19 lockdown harmed SSC students’ prospects
Most of these students, particularly those from rural areas, missed out on classes while in their eighth and ninth standards
KAKINADA: Lockdown during the first two phases of Covid-19 pandemic had adversely hit the prospects of students who had written their SSC examinations for academic year 2021-22.
Most of these students, particularly those from rural areas, missed out on classes while in their eighth and ninth standards. Opportunities for attending online classes had been minimal for them due to lack of smartphones and internet connectivity. No subject teachers had been there in many schools. These are among reasons that led to most schools in state registering their lowest pass percentage in last SSC examinations.
Erstwhile East Godavari district used to be in first place in the state in 10th class results. It has slipped to eighth place this year. As many as 90 schools in the district registered below 30 percent results and seven gave results below 10 percent. Government Ashram High School in Kothaveedhi of Devipatnam mandal registered 3.13 percent result, as only one student out of 32 passed. Result of STGK Municipal High School in Jaggammagaripeta in Samalkot too had been same. Results had been similarly poor in zilla parishad schools at Karavaka in Mamidikuduru mandal of Konaseema district and Kodurupadu in Allavaram mandal of Konaseema district.
Karavaka Zilla Parishad High School headmaster P. Someswara Rao told Deccan Chronicle that they had no Hindi and social studies’ teachers. That situation is continuing at present too. Someswara Rao said he is running remedial classes for failed SSC students from 8 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. daily, so that they could write their exams better and pass.
Headmaster of Kodurupadu Zilla Parishad High School in Allavaram mandal S. Yedukondalu too said they are taking special classes for students who had failed in one or more subjects, so that they could pass in the supplementary examinations.
District education officer (DEO) D. Subhadra underlined that students writing supplementary examinations too will get regular certificates once they pass. So, students should make use of this opportunity, work hard and pass in subjects in which they have failed. She pointed out that 22,681 of total 66,178 students in the district had failed in 10th Class examinations, 4,615 of them in mathematics and 5,123 in science.
Subhadra asked teachers to give best of education to students during their remedial classes, so that they could emerge successful in their supplementary exams.