Moa Jamir
Dimapur | June 7
In what could be considered a positive trend worth emulating at the lower level, Government schools in Nagaland are more or less at par, while some are performing consistently much better than their private counterparts, analysis of 3 years results of the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination highlighted.
The outcome is significant, among others, from the point of view of the provision of affordable and accessible quality higher education as in some districts; Government Higher Secondary Schools (GHSSs) are the only institutions offering Class-12 level education.
Results indicated that barring few aberrations, many GHSSs are performing better than most private schools in all HSSLC streams- Arts, Commerce and Science, some even with high student enrolment.
Govt schools too can perform
Unlike class 10 results where private schools have been comprehensively outperforming government schools over the years, the scenario is quite different in class 12.
For instance, in HSLC 2022, the total pass percentage of private schools was 82.08% against the low 36.62% of government schools.
However, in HSSLC, while the overall results were above 80% in all streams, GHSSs results in Arts and Science streams were competitive with private schools. In Commerce, government institutions had clearance rate of 87.50% against private institutions at 87.02%.
In the last three years that were analysed, GHSSs have bettered private schools twice in commerce stream – 2020 and 2022, and both performed comparatively in 2021.
In Arts stream, clearance rate of GHSSs in 2022 was 81.39% against 88.70% of private schools while in Science, the former secured 87.64% against the latter’s score of 92.00%. (See Table)
The pass percentages of 27 out of 44 GHSSs were higher than the State average of 80.64%, while 10 schools had 90% and above qualification rate.
In 2021, 18 GHSSs had performed above the State’s average of 69.37% while in 2020, 26 schools had percentage above 75.47%, the overall pass percentage.
In addition, GHSS Naginimora with 5 students achieved 100% clearance rate in 2022 in Arts stream, while GHSS Jotsoma and Chiechema achieved the feat with 29 and 14 students respectively in 2020.
As stated, results are even better for Commerce stream.
In 2022, Rüzhükhrie GHSS Kohima with 40 students scored 100% pass percentage in Commerce, an accomplishment achieved by GHSS Jotsoma in 2020.
The pass percentage of 87.50% and 86.41% of GHSSs in 2022 and 2020 Commerce stream respectively were higher than private schools at 87.02% and 83.22% respectively.
In Science stream, GHSS Tuensang with 29 students and GHSS Zunheboto with 1 student scored 100% clearance rate in 2022. It was repeat performance for GHSS Zunheboto with same number of students while GHSS Tuensang had 88% and 81% respectively in 2021 and 2020 with 18 and 25 students respectively.
GHSS Mon missed the hat-trick in 2022 at 96% with 22 students, after scoring two consecutive centuries in 2021 and 2020.
Standouts
As highlighted, while overall performances of the GHSSs in HSSLC in the last three years have been respectable, in terms of consistency, given the number of students, some schools are standouts.
Among others, the GHSS Jotsoma’s feats are remarkable. In pass three years, the school have produced 4 toppers in Arts stream– Neithozonuo ranked 4th in 2022; Nukho Keyho and Nithosano Nagi ranked 6 and 9 respectively in 2021; and Abuina, ranked 10 in 2020.
Apart from 100% in 2020, the school had 89% and 87% pass percentages in 2022 and 2021 respectively with considerable number of students.
In commerce too, GHSS Jotsoma secured 100% in 2020 while it was 89% in 2022 and 91% in 2021.
Not far behind is Rüzhükhrie GHSS, whose Jinenle Wanth was ranked 10th Arts stream in 2021. The school’s pass percentages along with number of students passing out in the last three years up to 2022 in Arts stream are 88% (119), 91% (105) and 89% (125).
In commerce stream, Rüzhükhrie GHSS had 100% success rate in 2022, and secured 92% and 98% in 2021 and 2020 respectively with over 40 students in all three years. Neimhelo-Ü Lasuh was a rank holder (10th) in Commerce from the school in 2020.
In Science stream, the school had over 90% pass percentage in past three years with over 90 students annually.
On the rise is GHSS Chümoukedima, where Tianaro Kichu stood 8th in the Arts’ merit list, while the school itself missed cent percent mark in 2022 at 99%. In the previous two years, the school pass percentages in Arts stream were above 90%.
Equally impressive is the GHSS Mon’s performances in Arts and Science streams. As noted earlier, while the school had secured two centuries in last 3 years in Science, its striking rate in Arts too is impressive with 87% in 2022, 82% (2021) and 85% (2020). In all three years, over 98 students passed out from GHSS Mon, with the highest being in 2022 with 147 students.
The achievement of GHSS Tuensang is also notable. In Science stream, with 29 students, the school scored a century in 2022, while in 2021 and 2020, the success rates of 88% and 81% respectively, were above the State’s average.
In Arts too, the school scored 88% in 2021 with 113 students and 89% in 2020 with 1492 students. The only ‘blemish’ in its outstanding three-year performance was in 2021 when it scored 67% with 87 students.
The Mayangnokcha GHSS Mokokchung’s performance with large number of students, particularly in Science stream is also remarkable. The school’s pass percentage along with number of passing students in 2022, 2021, and 2020 respectively in Science stream are 90% (36), 98% (54) and 98% (52).
As per the records, from 2020 to 2022, a total of 11 GHSSs had success rates consistently above the State’s average in Arts stream. The schools are Rüzhükhrie GHSS Kohima, TM GHSS Kohima, GHSS Jotsoma, Mayangnokcha GHSS Mokokchung, GHSS Mon, GHSS Chozuba, GHSS Chümoukedima, GHSS Niuland, GHSS Bautüng/Longleng, GHSS Peren and GHSS Noklak.
In Commerce, Rüzhükhrie GHSS Kohima and GHSS Jotsoma have achieved the feat while it Science stream, Rüzhükhrie GHSS Kohima, Mayangnokcha GHSS Mokokchung, GHSS Tuensang and GHSS Mon are the top performers.
Other notable achiever includes GHSS Phek in Science stream with 100% record in 2021 with 14 students and 82% and 78% in 2022 and 2020 respectively.
Govt Schools ‘crucial’
The HSSLC results report also indicated the importance of Government schools in ensuring accessibility to education at higher level and this playing crucial role in curbing dropout rates in Nagaland.
As per the UDISE 2020-21, report, Nagaland’s retention rate was 27.4 against the national average of 42.8% at Higher Secondary (1 to 12), indicating while dropout rate at secondary level as highest 24.6 against the national average of 14.%.
These rates would have been much worse if not for the GHSSs.
For instance, while Kohima, Mokokchung and Dimapur Districts are adequately represented by private schools at Secondary level, it is not so for other districts.
In Arts stream, districts like Tuensang, Mon and Kiphire had higher GHSSs than private schools. For Longleng and Noklak districts, GHSSs were the only schools available for students after class 10.
In Commerce, apart from Kohima, Dimapur and Peren, GHSSs were the only option.
Likewise, it was the only available avenue for students to study Science in Phek and Zunheboto while private and government schools were equally poised at 1 each in districts like Tuensang, Mon.
Only Dimapur and Kohima had higher private schools offering Science stream, while in Peren, only a single private school was offering the subject.
This is the final of a two-part series in HSLC/HSSLC results.
