Nearly 66 lakh students failed Class X and XII exams in 2023: Report

New Delhi [India], August 21 : Nearly 66 lakh students failed to clear their Class X and XII board exams in 2023, according to a report from the Ministry of Education.
The Ministry's review of the 2023 Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards also pointed to a substantial performance gap between students from central and state boards.
Central board students had a failure rate of six per cent in Class X and 12 per cent in Class XII. In contrast, state board students experienced significantly higher failure rates, with 16 per cent failing Class X and 18 per cent failing Class XII.
According to the report, approximately 33.5 lakh students failed to advance from Class X to Class XI, either due to non-appearance or failing the exams.
In XII, 32.4 lakh students failed to complete their higher secondary education.
The report covered an analysis of 59 examination boards, including three national-level and 56 state-level boards. Of these, 41 boards oversee both secondary and higher secondary exams, while 18 manage only one level.
As per the report, the overall performance of students in classes X and XII in 2023 has declined in comparison to 2022.
"This may be due to examination on larger syllabus than the previous one," the report said.
The analysis provided insights into student performance across different boards, mediums, and streams, exposing both progress and ongoing challenges in India's educational landscape.
One of the distinctive features of India's examination system is the variation in syllabi across different boards. While most adhere to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus, some states, including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal, continue to follow their curricula, reflecting ongoing debates about standardizing education across the country.
Exam duration also varied significantly, with Class X exams ranging from eight days in Bihar to 34 days under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). For Class XII, the duration was even broader, ranging from 10 days in Bihar to 63 days in Punjab, indicating differences in how educational boards structure and organize exams.
The report also revealed that language choice played a crucial role in exam performance. Hindi and English were the most popular mediums, with over 6.6 million and 6.7 million students, respectively. Marathi, Punjabi, and Bengali-speaking students achieved the highest pass rates, with 87.4 per cent, 87.4 per cent, and 84.5 per cent, respectively.
There has been a notable improvement in the pass rates for students from socio-economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs), including girls, SC, and ST students, in both exams.
In government schools, around 33 lakh girls registered for the 10th class exams, surpassing the 32 lakh boys who enrolled. However, the trend reverses in private schools, where 38.2 lakh boys registered for the 10th exam, significantly outnumbering the 29.2 lakh girls.
"The number of girls taking X and XII exams is higher in government-managed schools, while private schools see a significantly higher number of boys, indicating a gender gap in private institutions despite girls outperforming boys overall," the report said.
The distribution of students across different streams reveals that 43 per cent opted for Science, 39 per cent chose Arts, 13 per cent selected Commerce, and three per cent were enrolled in vocational and other streams in 2023.
Notably, girls were more represented in the Arts stream, while boys dominated the Science stream. Despite these differences, the overall pass percentage was higher among girls.
There is a significant disparity in student performance between the 10th and 12th board examinations within the same state, highlighting the need for a unified board system and consistent curriculum and assessment standards.
In Odisha and West Bengal, the gap between 10th and 12th board results has widened, while in Kerala, it has remained stable. On the other hand, the performance gap between the 10th and 12th boards has decreased in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Manipur.