Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S. Suresh Kumar said the State government was considering the proposal to abolish district-wise ranking system that is in vogue in SSLC examinations.
Speaking to reporters after participating in a review meeting of Education Department officials from the eight districts of Mysuru division on Tuesday, Mr. Kumar said there was concern in certain quarters that the ranking system was creating “unhealthy competition”.
“Instead of ranking districts on their performance in the exams, importance should be given to improving the quality of education and standard of teaching,” he said. The matter would be discussed with officials in the coming days and a decision would be taken, he added.
In the last SSLC examination, Hassan bagged first rank followed by Udupi.
Earlier, addressing officials of the department, Mr. Kumar referred to the efforts under way in districts like Udupi, Mandya, Raichur, Hassan, and Chickballapur.
But, in their efforts to achieve competitive results, teachers and headmasters should not put pressure on students, Mr. Kumar cautioned. In many cases, students become anxious when there is pressure on them. The Minister appealed to the teachers to increase confidence in students and help them overcome fear of examination.
He said officials in Chickaballapur district were planning to take students to the public examination centre for the preparatory exams to familiarise them with the place. Hailing the move, he asked officials to consider whether such efforts can be replicated in other parts of the State.
Mr. Kumar called upon the Education Department officials to stop mass copying He also asked the officials to take steps against leakage of question papers. He also appealed to teachers against boycotting evaluation and mechanically evaluating answer scripts.
