182 schools record zero pass percentage

Ludhiana district tops the list with 30 such schools

As many as 182 schools in the state have recorded zero pass percentage in Class-10 examination of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), results of which were declared recently.

Ludhiana district tops the list with 30 schools registering zero pass percentage this year, followed by Patiala with 24 schools, Jalandhar 21 and Sangrur 17.

This dubious distinction has also been achieved by 12 schools each in SAS Nagar and Bathinda districts, 11 in Hoshiarpur and 10 in Mansa.

When HT visited some government schools in Jalandhar with zero pass percentage, principals and teachers blamed the government for not providing them enough teachers. Some others blamed the Right to Education (RTE) Act under which they get “weak” students.

In Government Senior Secondary School at Khiwa in Nakodar, English lecturer Tej Pal Kumar was seen doing clerical work on a computer and when asked about the principal, he said the school does not have principal for the past four years and he is officiating.

Asked about the 0% result of the school, he said, “The RTE policy is responsible for it. A student who reaches Class 10 does not even know a basic formula of mathematics,” said Tej Pal. From the school, 11 students had given the exam and not even a single student could pass.

Moreover, he claimed, the school has no language teachers and even science and maths mistresses joined in November 2016.

In Government High School, Sarhali, all the 31 students have failed. “There are no teachers of social studies and English. Lack of a proper head in the school is another major problem,” said Leena, the school in-charge.

In Government Senior Secondary School, Nihaluwal, all 36 students who appeared in the exams flunked. Principal Harmeet Kaur said, “The school doesn’t have maths and English teachers.”