The erstwhile Chittoor district, along with parts of Tirupati and Annamayya districts, stood fourth in the state with a pass percentage of 74.22 in the 2022 SSC examinations. The result was one of the lowest in the district in the last one and a half decades. ,
Officials of the Education Department say that the rural areas of the district lagged badly in performance, while the performance of urban areas was very good. With more than 25% students failing the exams, the blame game has begun with the authorities and parents blaming the other for the poor results, while the COVID year 2020-22 became a bone of contention.
The erstwhile Madanapalle revenue division (now with Annamayya district) with most schools in rural areas recorded a pass percentage of 65.08, the lowest in two decades, while the Chittoor and Tirupati revenue divisions did well with a success rate of over 75%. Exhibited.
Sriram Purushottam, principal and district education officer of the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), blamed the poor outcomes on parents, especially in rural areas, for not taking care of their children.
“Despite the COVID pandemic, we regularly conducted online classes in 2020 and 2021. Many parents and students ignored our efforts and looked forward to ‘Covid Pass’ in 2022 as well. We got clear instructions from the higher authorities to completely streamline the processes and conduct the exam with utmost seriousness. For the last year, we intensified our efforts and conducted classes with double the severity this year. It is the psyche of parents and students that has remained the same in 2020 and 2021 as it was in 2020 and 2021.
The official also dismissed allegations from parents and students that the government had resorted to “rigorous evaluation” to ease the burden on the Amma Vodi scheme. “In fact, if we want to pump in more color and life in the future of the students then the evaluation of answer sheets should be strict. Now, the students of ‘Covid pass’ category are very worried, they are finding it difficult to cope with their intermediate studies. If they are not able to overcome their academic shortcomings, its effect will continue to haunt them in their higher studies as well. We have completed all the formalities and started remedial measures for immediate investigation. However, we will not allow the teachers to be punished if their negligence is found in the investigation,” Mr. Purushottam said.
A senior headmaster of KVB Puram Mandal, a ZP high school, who was due to retire on June 30 but for an extension period of two years, lamented that during the years of the COVID pandemic, 90% of the students (then In 8th and 9th classes) did not give full attention to studies at home. “His main focus was on watching movies on TV and entertainment on mobile phones. Many parents complained to us about checking their children’s behavior, and warned them from time to time. But, a teacher or headmaster cannot control students outside the school premises. After the impact of the Omicron wave by the end of February this year, in 2022 once again the tender mind ‘Covid Pass’ prevailed.
A parent from Chandragiri Mandal expressed regret over his son failing in all the subjects. “Who do I blame? I can’t blame the teachers, neither myself nor my son. I had even arranged tuition for him from January till the exams were over. I was told that the then Chittoor district Over 170 students failed in all subjects to share my son’s fate,” he expressed regret.