75 percent attendance may be mandatory for Class 10-12 public examinations

The School Education Department’s move came against the backdrop of several complaints from various government and government-aided schools that attendance of students studying from Class 10 to 12 was poor.

A senior official from the Directorate of Examinations told DT Next that every year all the management of government and government-aided schools would be instructed during the board exams to send details of students’ attendance who have less than75 per cent.“However, after comparing few years’ data sent by the schools, it was noticed that about 40 per cent of the students’ attendance in the State-run schools is less than 75 per cent and it also came to light that many students do not have even 40 per cent of attendance,” he claimed.

The official said that more absentees were noticed especially in southern districts including Ramanathapuram, Dharmapuri and Tirunelveli. The official said that since there was no improvement in the attendance despite counselling for students, the government is working out on a rule that would not let students to appear for the exams if their attendance is less than75 per cent.

Stating that the new attendance rule would be applicable for Classes 10 to 12 students, the official said, “The new measure will not only improve the studies of the students but also improve the overall results, which will be on a par with private schools.”

“However, if there was a genuine or valid reason for a student’s absence, it will be accepted and they will be allowed to appear for the annual exams,” he said.