AHMEDABAD: Learning loss may be one of the most discussed fallouts of two years of pandemic but Gujarat has recorded another major deficit — an estimated 5.8 lakh less students have enrolled in Class X and XII board exams to be held in March 2022.
For Class X board exams, 9.72 lakh students have registered to appear for the exams compared to 14.03 lakh students recorded in 2021 when mass promotion was declared due to the second Covid wave. In 2020 when board exams were held despite the onset of the pandemic, 11.5 lakh students had registered to appear for the exams.
Similarly, in Class XII general stream, 4.26 lakh students have registered to appear for the board exams against 5.42 lakh students recorded in 2021. In Class XII science stream, 33,000 less students have registered against 1.4 lakh students recorded in 2021.
Experts apprehend that such a drastic drop in the number of students taking the exam is unprecedented. Primarily, they cite two reasons behind the significant drop — students dropping out of schools due to financial and social hardships induced by the pandemic and nil repeater students as board students were given a mass promotion following the killer second wave of Covid-19.
President of the Ahmedabad School Management Association Amrut Bharwad said schools have witnessed a 10-12 percent drop in the number of students in class X.
"Majority take leaving certificates citing admission in other schools but it is a known fact that many families suffered immensely during Covid pandemic, losing either jobs and head members of the family. For children of such families, education became a casualty of the pandemic," Bharwad said.
Pinky Bharwad, a class 9 pass girl in Sanand, is a case in point who was forced to drop out of school in class X after her security guard father lost his job. Survival took precedence over her studies, say locals.
Board officials also cite no repeat students due to mass promotion in class X and XII exams as a big reason for less students enrolling for the boards.
"Majority of nearly 20-25% students who fail the board register to reappear in the exams the next year," an official said.
