HARIPUR: The poor performance of public sector schools in the recently announced Secondary School Certificate examination results has exposed the tall claims of the government that it has reformed the education sector to a great extent.

It was observed that at least 127 government schools in grade-9 and 42 schools in grade-10 examination results performed poorly in the SSC results announced by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Abbottabad.

According to the break-up obtained from the official gazette, there were 10 government boys schools and seven girls schools whose failed percentage stood between 32.5 per cent to 39.6 per cent. Of these 127 schools, there were eight boys schools and four girls schools whose failed percentage was between 40 to 47.1 per cent.

There were 11 boys and 12 girls schools whose failed percentage remained between 50 to 60.7 per cent.

Education officials blame shortage of teachers for dismal results

The government schools with failure rate between 61 to 70.9 per cent were seven boys and eight girls schools; 16 girls and 13 boys schools were with failed percentage between 71.4 to 80.9 per cent; 11 boys and only two girls schools were with failed percentage between 81.3 to 90.9 per cent and 10 boys schools and three girls schools’ failed percentage stood between 91.1 to 97.3 per cent.

According to official result sheets, there were only two schools whose 100 per cent candidates failed in grade-9 examination results. These schools included government high school, Kundi, Ghazi tehsil and government high school, Kailag.

It was observed that most of the poorly performing government schools fell in the peripheries of Ghazi, Khanpur and Haripur towns which, the education department claims, face shortage of staff and other facilities.

However, it was noticed that there were some boys and girls schools within the urban limits of Haripur, which were well-equipped with required staff and facilities, but their 80 per cent students failed.

Government Centennial Model Higher Secondary School for Boys, Haripur, is the case in point whose 416 students appeared in the examinations, but only 76 could pass the grade-9. Only 12 students out of 137 of government high school, Kangra, which also falls in urban limit, could pass the results. Only seven out of 176 students of government girls higher secondary school, Khanpur, remained successful, while only seven out of 114 students of government high school for boys, Khanpur, secured the pass percentage.

Likewise, in grade-10, there were 42 government girls and boys schools that produced failed results, ranging between 32 to 77 per cent.

Of these, six were boys and three girls schools whose 40.9 to 48.6 per cent students failed; 50 to 60 per cent students of five boys and three girls schools failed and 63 to 77 per cent students of four boys and one girls schools failed.

“We were being motivated to shift our children to the government schools and many of parents opted to do so but the poor results of these school is alarming,” said Naveed, a resident of Haripur, who said he had admitted his three children to government schools last year. He said officials of Haripur education department had been making tall claims of leading other districts in the province, but the recent results exposed their claims.

Shaukat, another parent, said political meddling and engaging teachers in administrative duties resulted in poor performance of government schools.

District education officer, male, Omar Khan Kundi told Dawn on contact that those focusing on the few poor results of government schools should not forget the fact that the government schools had produced an overall 74 per cent pass results. “But it doesn’t mean that the schools which produced poor results will not be questioned,” he said.

He attributed the poor results to shortage of teaching staff and slow process of filling the vacant seats through NTS.

He called for devising a mechanism that made the teachers’ hiring process speedy. He said there were 129 declared vacant posts in the male section while over 50 teachers were likely to retire during the next three months.

Samina Altaf, DEO female, while commenting on poor results of girls schools, claimed that there were very few schools that had produced poor results, and the reason was shortage of teaching staff.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2019