KOZHIKODE: Call it the success of the state government’s initiative to woo more students to schools under its fold or the lure of scoring higher marks. The exodus of students from national boards to the state higher secondary course is seeing a steady rise over the past three years. The trend is expected to continue this year too with more students poised to join the state Plus II course for varied reasons.
According to official figures accessed by ‘Express’, more than half the number of students who pass the CBSE Class X examination have been joining the state higher secondary course over the years. During the just-concluded academic year, the enrollment rate of CBSE students was as high as 54 per cent. Of the 72,146 students who passed the CBSE examination from the state in the previous year, nearly 39,000 joined state syllabus schools.
The slight dip in the enrollment of CBSE/ ICSE students in 2017-18 could be attributed to the confusion regarding extension of the last date of higher secondary admission to accommodate CBSE students.
It was after a legal battle that CBSE students got the last date of admission extended to three days after declaration of their Class X results.
“The switching of students from various national boards to the state syllabus for Plus II course stands testimony to the credibility enjoyed by the state higher secondary sector,” opined S Manoj general secretary, Aided Higher Secondary Teachers’ Association.
He added that the enrollment figures of CBSE - ICSE students have been witnessing a steady rise even before the state government launched the General Education Protection Mission.
Meanwhile, CBSE school authorities say the opportunity to score higher marks - thanks to the liberal awarding of grace marks and the weightage given for state higher secondary students during admission to degree courses - was the main attraction behind the switch to the state syllabus.