The Odisha Government has ordered a probe after it found that nearly 43,489 Class X students did not appear in the High School Certificate (HSC) exams this year. The exams ended on May 7. 2022.
According to the government, out of 5.71 lakh students who filled forms for exams, only around 5.3 lakh students appeared.
The move comes after the school and mass education department found that of the 5.71 lakh students who had filled up forms for the exam, only 5.3 lakh actually appeared.
Most of the absent students were recorded from Mayurbhanj, Ganjam and Bolangir districts. The exams that began on April 30, 2022, were conducted in 3,540 centres across odisha. Only 4,412 students missed the exam last year.
As per reports, School and Mass Education Secretary Bishnupada Sethi has asked district education officers (DEOs) to probe the large-scale absenteeism of students for the exam from their districts. They have also been asked to conduct school-wise analysis of their districts and submit a report within 10 days.
“The absenteeism of thousands of candidates from the HSC exam this year is definitely a matter of concern. The DEOs have been asked to submit a report on the school-wise analysis of absenteeism in their respective districts and update the same in a Google Form,” Sethi was quoted to have said by The Indian Express.
According to Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash, “Students’ studies were severely affected due to Covid-19 pandemic. They may have dropped out of the examination due to lack of preparation.”
It may be noted that the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) took notice of the large-scale absence of students from exams and asked the director of secondary education to look into the matter.