• Science, Arts Popular Streams In Last 10 Years, Commerce Stagnated: MoE

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    Science, Arts Popular Streams In Last 10 Years, Commerce Stagnated: MoE

    Science and Arts have been the most popular streams among students over the last ten years...


    Digital Desk: Science and Arts have been the most popular streams among students over the last ten years, while commerce has remained stagnant, with only 14% of students opting for it, according to a study conducted by the Ministry of Education. 


    The study, which is based on Class 10 and 12 board exam results, found significant differences in the choice of streams across the states.


    "While only 2% of students in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana choose the Arts stream, states like Tripura and Gujarat have more than 82 percent of students choose the stream, and states like Punjab and Rajasthan have more than 70 percent," it stated.


    Similarly, the popularity of the science stream is extremely low in Punjab, Haryana, and Assam, where only about 17% of students pick it, whereas in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu, more than 60% of students choose science to study after class 12.


    "In Goa and Karnataka, the distribution of students in major streams is almost similar,"  the report said.


    Among the issues cited by the ministry in the assessment include a considerable disparity in the performance of students from different boards, a big range in pass percentages, and no equal playing field for students in terms of standards.


    According to School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, the disparity in pass percentages between states has prompted the education ministry to consider standardising the examination pattern for all 60 school boards across the country.


    In India, there are currently three central boards: the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Apart from these, each state has its own school board, bringing the total number of school boards to 60.


    To investigate the difference in outcomes among state boards, the study examined Class 10 and 12 results from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Odisha, West Bengal, and Telangana.


    According to the report, all states have been urged to work on the assessment standardising procedure.


    "Earlier this month, a meeting was held in this regard where the presentation was shared with the states and concerns about developing a common assessment system were discussed," Kumar added.


    The report also stated that 11 states account for 85% of all school dropouts. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Assam, West Bengal, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh are among these states.


    Among the likely causes of the greater failure rate in state boards identified in the research are a lower number of educated instructors and teachers per school. This leads to India's poor Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) and has an impact on the country's overall ranking in global indices.


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