The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed that a stop be put to the practice of issuing bonus points for Plus One higher secondary admission on the basis of swimming certificates produced by students.
It issued the directive to the General Education Secretary, Director of General Education, and the Higher Secondary Joint Director.
Commission of member Reni Antony, in an order on Thursday, ordered that the bonus given for ‘student of the same school’ be avoided, and that students who excel in arts, science, mathematics, and work experience fairs, National Cadet Corps, Student Police Cadets, Scouts and Guides, or Little KITEs need not be given bonus points since they are given grace marks along with SSLC marks.
It was acting came on a clutch of petitions from Plus One students alleging that the bonus points awarded for Plus One higher secondary admission were discriminatory.
After going through reports and hearing the respondents, the commission observed that the logic behind bonus points for swimming proficiency and ‘student of the same school’ were unclear. Since not all schools in the State had a higher secondary section, giving two points only to students of the same school was discriminatory. A student in a school without higher secondary courses was getting pushed down the order in the allotment list. This was denial of justice.
Similarly, procedures for getting swimming certificate were illogical and non-transparent. The practice of giving two bonus points for swimming was being widely misused. Whether such bonus points issued on the basis of a certificate helped improve students’ swimming abilities was a pertinent question.
The commission also went through a government order issued on June 14 that no grace marks would be allowed in SSLC or Plus Two examinations in the 2021-22 academic year.
However, the fifth paragraph of the order that pertained to those eligible for bonus points such as NCC, Scouts and Guides, SPC, and Little KITEs should be re-examined. These students were given grace marks besides what they scored in examinations. To give them bonus points over and above that for Plus One admission was unscientific. Allowing bonus points to overtake academic merit was denial of justice, and should be ended. The award of bonus points should be made more scientific and logical, the commission said.
The Plus One higher secondary admissions for this year should be held as per a revised prospectus prepared on the basis of the commission directions, it said.
