Delay in result declaration puts pressure on State Board students

More than eight lakh students, including over 30,000 private candidates, have appeared for Class 12 State Board examinations that was held in March. The results are usually declared in the first week of June. This year, however, evaluation of answer sheets began only in June due to the pandemic and the lockdown.

The School Education Department had said in mid-June that evaluation was over, and Minister KA Sengottaiyan had assured that the results would be declared in July first week.

"The delay in publishing results was due to slow updation of data on the server," a senior official from the Directorate of School Education told DT Next seeking anonymity. It is important to update the marks in the server because it would be used by the Directorate of Examinations for analysis.

With the CBSE declaring results for both Class 10 and 12, State board students seeking college admissions are frustrated by the delay.

"Both CBSE and State Board examinations were held almost simultaneously. The number of students appearing for CBSE exam is much bigger. If CBSE can publish results, why is it getting delayed here," questioned S Bala Krishnan, a private school student from Pammal who is hoping to join engineering.

Having the infrastructure at its disposal, the State government could have published results soon after the evaluation was over in June, said K Uma Shankar, secretary, Parents-Teachers Association in Tambaram. "One section of officials were saying that results will be published soon, while another is giving contradictory statement. It is adding more stress on the students," he added.

"I could have selected my higher education course by this time if the results were published on time. The delay not only creates stress among the students but is also putting them in a confusion," said S Sheela Raj, a Class 12 student at a government-aided school in Nungambakkam.