Give them wings

Give them wings

CBSE results reveal lakhs of students raring to go. The system mustn’t fail them.

CBSE’s Class 12 board examination results lay out neatly the contradictions of the Indian education system. There is no dearth of bright students – 72,599 scored 90% or above and 83.1% of the 11.8 lakh students who took the test have passed. But rather than exult or be relieved these students face a harrowing time securing admission to undergraduate courses of their choice. Often the best among them head to a clutch of prestigious colleges in big cities amid uncertainty and insecurity over making it through.

This is most evident in Delhi University (DU) colleges where students from across the country flock to. First list cutoffs are known to soar over 99%, not surprising considering that 12,737 students have scored over 95%. Also note that CBSE is just one among other education boards and a crore or so students pass out of education boards run by state governments. While it is not clear whether the consistently rising pass percentages and topper scores are a result of quality improvements or a liberal testing regime, the trend does require higher education to play catch up.

It has tried to do so by increasing seats and courses in top institutions like DU and IITs. But unlike school education where the private sector has stepped up and catered to rising aspirations, this has happened more slowly in higher education, mainly because of the vice-like grip of UGC and AICTE. Granting more autonomy to decide fees, student intake, courses and industry partnerships can reverse the quality stagnation in higher education. But analysing Class 12 CBSE results alone may not give a general picture of school education.

For instance, ASER survey results show declining learning outcomes in lower classes and very little probability of those students reaching Class 12. Recall that nearly 10 lakh students dropped out of Uttar Pradesh board exams after measures to curb cheating. But the CBSE results are an aspiration index that policy makers cannot ignore. For example, some toppers are contemplating going abroad to pursue undergraduate education. These students have the gap between foreign and Indian universities in mind. This suggests the need for education reforms at every level to ensure better quality. The good performance of Kendriya and Navodaya Vidayalayas and some state government schools in the CBSE exams is no less significant. Both public and private education approaches have their task cut out.