Over 19,000 students failed Kannada in Karnataka SSLC exams, raising concerns despite a strong overall pass rate of 97.24%. The results have sparked debate on language teaching quality and priorities.
Bengaluru: While everyone is celebrating the record-breaking SSLC results this year, a shocking detail has emerged. Believe it or not, more students have failed in their first language subjects than in any other, and the numbers for Kannada are particularly worrying. Over 19,000 students have failed in the Kannada language paper.
Here's the breakdown. A total of 18,678 students who took Kannada as their first language failed the exam. Another 289 who chose it as their third language also failed. Add to this the hundreds who failed Kannada as a second language, and the total number crosses 19,000.
This has sparked a major debate: Are schools in Karnataka not giving enough importance to teaching Kannada compared to other subjects? It seems like a time for some serious introspection for the state's Kannada teachers.
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7,48,660 Students Pass Overall
According to the subject-wise data released by the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board on Thursday, the first language results, which were in the top 3 last year, have now dropped to the bottom. Out of 7,69,926 students who appeared for first language papers, 7,48,660 students (97.24%) passed, while 21,266 students (2.76%) failed.
In comparison, other subjects fared much better. The pass percentage for the second language was 98.13%, third language was 98.55%, Maths was 97.98%, Science was 97.80%, and Social Science was 97.85%.
Kannada Results Lowest Among First Languages
Even within the first language category, Kannada had the worst performance. Out of 6,07,275 students who appeared for the Kannada first language exam, 5,88,597 passed, putting the pass percentage at just 96.92%. This means 18,678 students failed.
Let's look at other first languages. The pass percentage for English was 98.38%, Hindi was 98.15%, Marathi was 97.16%, Urdu was 98.44%, and Sanskrit was a near-perfect 99.99%. Both Tamil and Telugu saw a 100% pass rate. Clearly, the failure rate in Kannada is the highest among all nine first language options.
What are the officials saying?
A senior official from the department admitted that the first language results are a bit low. "It's true that the first language results are slightly lower compared to other subjects, but the difference is less than 1%," he said. "One reason could be that the first language papers are for 125 marks, while others are for 100. But we agree that the low result in Kannada is not acceptable. We will focus on improving this in the future."
Focus on Improvement
School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said the results are a wake-up call. "This result makes us question if we are forgetting to prioritise the teaching and learning of our own language," he said.
He added, “When I was in SSLC, Hindi had grading, not marks. The exam was only for 50 marks. Today's kids write for 100 marks. The department will look at scientific data to figure out how to reduce the pressure on students from learning other languages and will come to a suitable decision. We will definitely focus more on improving the results in the Kannada language subject.”
First Language Subject Results
- Kannada: 96.92% pass
- English: 98.38% pass
- Urdu: 98.44% pass
- Sanskrit: 99.99% pass
- Marathi: 97.16% pass
- Hindi: 98.15% pass
- Tamil: 100% pass
- Telugu: 100% pass
Overall Subject-wise Results
- First Language: 97.24%
- Second Language: 98.13%
- Third Language: 98.55%
- Maths: 97.98%
- Science: 97.80%
- Social Science: 97.85%
