Ever since the inception of the state of Jharkhand in the year 2000, it has often made headlines for scams, poverty, administrative failures and Maoist violence. However, after years of political instability and functional disturbances in the State, now a success story is gradually being scripted.
Government-run English medium schools in Jharkhand, often underestimated and overlooked, have made a mark by performing exceptionally well in their first ever Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)-aligned board examinations. The quality of education at the English medium government schools, which was often met with doubt and skepticism, has now been replaced with admiration and hope as students from these schools have not only outperformed expectations, but have also shown that they no less than their counterparts studying in private institutions. For the first time students from these schools appeared in the CBSE examination conducted for class 10 and class 12 for the academic session 2024- 25 and the results have stunned everyone.
Out of the 80 CM Schools of Excellence inaugurated by Chief Minister Hemant Soren in 2023, students from 64 schools appeared for the exams this year. Out of these, examinees from 50 schools were registered for the class 10 board exams and 53 schools for the class 12 examination.
In standard 12, for the science stream 50 schools, 33 in commerce and 43 in arts were registered with the CBSE. As per the results, a total of 29 students in class 10 got above 90 per cent whereas 26 candidates in class 12 scored above 90 per cent marks.
“This was the first time that our students appeared for the examination through CBSE. With these results, we have overcome the fear being faced by the students, teachers and parents.
In the coming years, steps will be taken to ensure that the number of students enrolling and participating in the examination is more and the results will also be better. This first experiment of the department and the government was very successful. As of now only 65 schools participated in the CBSE exams and gradually all the 80 CM Schools of Excellence and 325 Block Level Adarsh Vidyalayas will be partaking in it,” said Education Secretary Uma Shankar Singh.
“The affiliation with the CBSE board was received last year and this is the first time students from 64 schools have appeared for the class 10 and 12 examination. A lot of efforts were put in terms of teacher deputation, overall subjects and enforcing the CBSE curriculum. Two pre boards were conducted and remedial classes for the weak students were also held while practice sessions to make the candidates familiar with the pattern were also organised,” said Shashi Ranjan, State Project Director, Jharkhand Education Project Council.