Around 35 lakh students who enrolled in Class 10 in 2021-2022 did not progress to Class 11, with 27.5 lakhs failing and 7.5 lahks not appearing for the exams, according to the Ministry of Education (MoE).
While the failure rate is as low as 5% in Central Boards like CBSE and CISCE, it can reach 16% in State Boards. The variance in syllabus taught in different Boards creates barriers for national-level common tests like CUET, JEE, and NEET, said Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of School Education.
The MoE has requested data from the National Testing Agency to analyze which Boards perform well in NEET. Only 4.5 lakh students appear for exams through NIOS, with failure rates ranging from 47% to 55%. The analysis reveals a lack of standardization across State Boards, with 11 states contributing to 85% of dropouts. The MoE aims to standardize Board exams and establish a National Assessment Centre.
