PERAMBALUR/ARIYALUR: Vacant teacher and headmaster posts has pulled down this year's board exam results in Ariyalur and Perambalur, which are considered to be Tamil Nadu's top-performing districts. Ariyalur, which was ranked at the top in Class 12 results last year, fell dramatically to the 33rd rank with a pass percentage of 91.70%. In Class 10 examinations, the district slipped to the 37th rank recording an 87.55% pass percentage.
Speaking to TNIE, a senior official from the school education in Perambalur said, "Inspection teams had reviewed the district's examination practices after previous years' performances. They advised us to ensure examinations are conducted in a more stringent and transparent manner. We did as were told, but the poor performance of five schools affected the overall result."
The official further said teacher shortages was a major challenge."There are nearly 100 vacancies in higher secondary and high schools in the district. Though some posts were temporarily managed through School Management Committee (SMC) appointments, experienced subject teachers are still lacking. This impacted academic performance," he added.
Officials in Ariyalur also voiced similar views regarding the poor performance. A senior official said, "Headmaster post is vacant in 29 high and 17 higher secondary schools, in addition to nearly 100 PG teacher vacancies across the district. While temporary arrangements were made through SMC teachers, HM posts could not be fully filled. In many schools, headmasters from other institutions were given additional charge.
This affected administration and academic monitoring," The official said that several initiatives had been implemented, including special coaching classes, study materials, regular tests, and model examinations.
"Despite these efforts, some students could not focus on studies. We have begun reviewing schools that performed badly during the vacation period. Corrective measures would be implemented in the new academic year ," the official said.
This story is reported by P Thiruselvam