CHENNAI: Though top scorers were upset with the abolition of state and district rankings in plus-2 exams, students and parents, in general, approved of the state government’s decision.
V. Darshan, the student of Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Mogappair who scored 1,191 out of 1,200, was disappointed.
“I expected a state rank. Grading system has been disappointing. We have been studying for two years to achieve the top rank. But with abolition of ranks on a short notice, everything has gone futile,” he said.
But another student from the same school has welcomed the decision. B.Swetha who had scored 1,190 was happy about the abolition of the grading system. “It’s good that ranking system does not exist anymore, this will be a fair decision for people who miss top ranks in a few marks. They are equally good but might not have scored the exact marks to become topper,” she said.
K.R.Gayathri, topper of Presidency Girls Higher Secondary School in Egmore, said the government move will take the pressure off the students. She scored 1,150 out of 1,200 in the exams.
“The students who get a few marks less will be depressed. The announcement treats all the students equal. So, it’s a welcome move,” she said.
S.Parveen Nisha, who scored 1,178 and the school topper in Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Ashok Nagar, also agreed with it. She said it helped her to stay relaxed on the eve of examinations.
Vijayakumar, a physics teacher in that school, said, “The tension among students reduced drastically by the decision.”
Srinivasan K, father of Shruthi, a student of St Joseph’s School, Perambur who passed plus-2 exams with 1122 marks, opine that end of grading system will put an end to discrimination that students have to face at times due to an award of ranks.
“Students missing top ranks, even though they score good marks, sometimes take to suicides. This is a good initiative and should be done by other boards also,” he added.
But, N.Vijayan, founder and principal of Zion Matric Higher Secondary School in Tambaram, said his students were disappointed.
“As an educationist, I understand the government’s decision and the reason for doing away with the ranks. But at the same time, the hard work of teachers and students will go unnoticed by this decision. There should be encouragement and motivation for top performers,” he stated.
Depressed? Call 104 for help
Stress of students and parents reaches a different level just before and after declaration of exam results. With students and parents being concerned over career aspirations, some take the extreme step of ending their lives because of low marks or failure in exams.
To avoid such situations and help those in distress, Tamil Nadu Child Rights Observatory (TNCRO), government helpline 104 and childline 1098 rendered emotional support and guidance to students and parents on Friday when plus-2 results were declared.
At the time of going to press, the 104 helpline received more than 9,000 calls with parents and students discussing several issues while 1,000 of them were depressed unhappy about their marks due to their own high expectations of marks.
“Over 600 callers needed psychological treatment and counselling. Though we do not follow a protocol to aid with psychologists, we have involved eight of them in this,” Prabhu Das, a senior official with the 104 helpline, told Deccan Chronicle.
Separately, department of social work of Loyola College, in a programme titled Child Rights Resource Project, held in collaboration with Unicef, also offered counseling and career guidance support for students and parents across Chennai.
Around 25 professors, including counselors, provided career guidance and emotional support to deal with stress after the result declaration.
Underprivileged kids at Sevalaya shine through
Underprivileged students of Sevalaya continued the tradition of getting 100% results in the XII board with all 136 students passing the exams with good marks.
Twenty-eight students got distinction and 131 got first division marks in this year’s exams, a press release said. Hard work and dedication of the Sevalaya staff and continued support of well-wishers and supporters of Sevalaya have once again proved to be a winning combination to beat all odds.
On even ground?
Toppers may feel upset
Sheema Fathima, a student of Lady MCTM School
“I prepared for my exams with an aim of obtaining a state rank. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it, but, I am satisfied with my score. I feel that this move by the TN government will not be received well by some students. If I had obtained a state rank, I would be dejected to know that I didn’t get due recognition.”
Step in right direction
Dr B. Chandra Sekharan, principal at KMR International School in Madurai
“I always say that a student should be taught to win everything without defeating anyone. The decision to scrap ranking system is good. It would also make sure that, schools, being run with the only motive of boosting the ‘sales’, do not squeeze the life out of students. And it will stop students fighting against each other on the basis of ranks.”
Schools with high-scoring Children
Smruthi Nair, a psychologist
“Personally and professionally, I welcome this decision. I have counselled studies in our state and also outside Tamil Nadu. Students here are obsessed with ranks. Even schools model them in such a way that students are not allowed to concentrate on extra-curricular activities. Even when CBSE shifted from marks to grade, the move kind of equalised a lot of students. It might not have a far reaching effect, but at least there will be a bunch of high scoring kids in a school.”
Offers fair play
P. Swaminathan, Secretary of SRV schools, Rasipuram
“I can’t say that this move is not against private schools. It has created a fair ground for both English and Tamil medium students. Nearly 9 lakh students take up Class 12 exam and not everyone will be able to score the first rank. By celebrating the top tanker, we belittled the hard work of others. The government should make Class 11 exam, a board exam. If the state government concentrates on their next move carefully, discrimination between schools would drastically come down,”
(As told to Janani K and Balajee C R)
