Overall 70 per cent students passed the 2013 Annual Higher Secondary Examinations (Plus II) in Science, Arts and Commerce streams with girls once again outperforming the boys.
While Dhenkanal district earned the distinction of having the highest pass percentage (85.70) in Science and 82.33 in Art, Khurda beat all in Commerce stream scoring 80.67 per cent results.
The results of the Plus II examinations, conducted by the Council of Higher Secondary Education(CHSE), was declared on Wednesday with Higher Education Minister Badrinarayan Patra releasing the booklets at a function held in the State Secretariat. However, there was no Top Twenty merit list this year.
In all the three streams, a total of 2, 81,885 students appeared the examinations of which 1, 97,707 candidates came out successful. While 76,879 students appeared in Science, 1, 79, 994 appeared in Arts and 25,012 candidates appeared the Commerce stream. 55,409 in Science, 1, 25,263 students in Arts and 17,033 candidates cleared in Commerce.
The girls continued to fare better than the boys with 73.79 per cent in science, 72.98 per cent in Arts and 73.53 per cent in Commerce, clearing the examinations as compared to 71.04 per cent, 65.43 per cent and 66.01 per cent boys, respectively.
While the pass percentage in Science regular stands at 72.07 per cent, the pass rate in Arts is 69.59 per cent and 68.1 per cent in Commerce.
The lowest per cent of results in Science was recorded in Nuapada district (34.05 per cent), while in Sundargarh lowest 47.95 per cent was recorded in Arts and 24.36 per cent results recorded in Deogarh.
In all 36,009 students came out with flying colours in first division in all the three streams, including 18,440 in Science, 14,148 in Arts and 3,421 in Commerce. Similarly, a total of 56,265 students placed in 2nd division, including 18,075 in Science, 34,130 in Arts and 9,207 candidates in Commerce, while a total of 1, 01,135 candidates passed in 3rd division with 17,459 in Science, 74,469 in Arts and 9,207 candidates in Commerce.
This year as many as 2,620 students were booked under malpractice, with 521 in Science, 1,872 in Arts and 227 in Commerce stream.
According to the results statistics, a total of six colleges in Science and Commerce streams fared very badly with nil results. While four students appeared the examination in Science stream in Mahanadi Junior Science College, Jagatpur, Cuttack and as many students in Government Jr College, Jiranga in Gajapati district, three students in SVM College, Brahmapur appeared the examinations. Not a single student passed from these colleges. Similarly, in Arts stream, not a single student passed in Ayush College and S College in Brahmapur and SVM College, Rayagada.
The Minister said that the State Government would consider withdrawal of recognition of the junior colleges with consecutive nil results.
As far as the results of SC and ST candidates are concerned, while 7,296 students belonging to SC community had appeared the examinations in Science steam, 25,992 in Arts and 2,196 students in Commerce stream, as many as 4,447, including 1,555 girls in Science, 17,033, including 8,879 girls, in Arts and 1,291, including 308 girls, passed in Commerce.
To a question, Patra said in order to check question paper leakage, the CHSC was in the process to reform the examination process with a foolproof system. This year’s Plus II results assume significance for the fact that though the CHSE has abolished the Top Twenty merit list to check unhealthy competition, the Government decided to distribute free laptops to 15,000 meritorious students having scored highest marks.
“We have constituted nodal officers for deciding the criteria for distribution of laptops,” said Minister Patra.