The Higher Secondary results declared on Thursday recorded a slightly higher pass percentage than last year, but only 1.1% of students scored 90% and above, marking a significant decline in the number of high achievers. This was the first batch of the state board Class 12 under the semester system. The HS marks were calculated by adding the scores from the third and fourth semester exams.
ISC Students Gain Edge in College Admissions
Given the high scores secured by ISC students, they may have an advantage over their HS and CBSE counterparts during college admissions. Compared to the 1.1% of HS students scoring above 90%, 25% of ISC students achieved such marks.
Top Performers and Merit List
In the state board Class 12 exams, 64 students made it to the top-10 list. The topper was Adrito Pal from Ramakrishna Mission, Narendrapur, who scored 496 out of 500 (99.2%). Three students secured the second position, and five the third. Among the top 10 rank-holders, 18 students were from Ramakrishna Mission, Narendrapur, and 17 from Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith. The merit list also includes four students from Kolkata schools: Gholam Faisal from Calcutta Madrasah AP Deptt (98.6%, fourth), Amritangsu Sahu from Scottish Church Collegiate School (97.6%, ninth), Adrija Gan from Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Sister Nivedita Girls' School (97.4%, 10th), and Samriddha Paul from Baranagar Ramakrishna Mission Ashram High School (97.4%, 10th).
Chief Minister Congratulates Topper
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari congratulated topper Adrito's parents over the phone for their son's achievement. "You have done exceptionally well. You have scored the highest marks in the state, and we are all proud of you. I wish you even greater success in the future," Adhikari told Adrito. His father urged the new CM to ensure the upliftment of the education system. The chief minister will felicitate all board toppers on May 18 at the secretariat.
"I expected good results, but I never imagined I would top the state. Missing a rank in Madhyamik by a small margin did hurt, but that disappointment is now gone," Adrito told TOI. About the CM's phone call, he said, "I conveyed my respects to the CM and received his blessings. I am extremely happy he personally called to congratulate me."
Overall Pass Percentage and Decline in High Scorers
Among the 6.3 lakh students who appeared for HS, 5.7 lakh passed, bringing the pass percentage to 91.2%, a 0.4% improvement over last year's 90.8%. However, only 6,434 students (1.1%) scored 90% and above, a nearly 12% drop from last year. HS Council president Partha Karmakar said, "This is the first semester system batch. We have to analyze the data. We have several plans for the overall betterment of the system."
Challenges of the New Semester System
School heads pointed out some problems under the new semester system, including inadequate books for individual subjects. In the third semester exams, science students faced time management issues, and the gap between the third and fourth semesters was too short for proper preparation, said a teacher. Scottish Church Collegiate School headmaster Bibhas Sanyal said, "This was our first co-ed batch. They did well. But given it's the first semester batch, students had trouble adapting to the new system. Subsequent batches will overcome the challenges."
Improvement Test and Future Revisions
The HS Council has started an improvement test, but it will be the fourth semester exam next year. Many pointed out that while other boards' students can appear for improvement tests within a month or two, HS students must wait for a year. Karmakar said the Council plans to revise the system after a meeting with the education department.
Success Stories from Ramakrishna Mission Schools
RKM Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, and Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Purulia, together had 35 students on the merit list. Swami Ishteshananda, RKM Narendrapur headmaster, highlighted their culture of simple living and lofty ideals, which built discipline and teamwork. Ritobrata Nath, who ranked second, said the phone-free space helped them study with fewer distractions. Aitihya Pachhal, also second, said their housemasters supervised their study.
Swami Jnanarupananda, headmaster of RKM Vidyapith, attributed the great scores to frequent mock tests. Jishnu Kundu from the school credited his second rank to the disciplined environment and teacher guidance. Third-rank holder Pritam Ballav said the school helped shape him personally.
