Flood-hit schools report dip in pass %

Chennai: For Class 12 student, Shweta Shivakumar, floods were not just about missing classes but also terrible memories of her house being drowned. Having lost her books, clothes and other possessions, Shweta had to shift out of Kotturpuram and live with relatives. While she has been performing well in most of her exams, her marks took a beating this time due to floods, she says.
"I secured 802 but would have definitely scored higher if not for the floods, especially in accountancy," says Shweta whose teachers and friends helped her by providing books and notes post the deluge.
On the day of results, schools situated in the worst hit areas had many such stories to narrate. As many students were impacted by the incessant rain, schools in the worst flood-affected areas reported a dip in their pass percentage of 5% to over 20%. They cited floods as one of the primary reasons behind the drop. Among these were schools that were situated on Adyar bank and those that had been instructed to remain shut for longer than other schools.
The Nandanam Government Higher Secondary School, reported that their pass percentage went down from 96% last year to 74% this year. Stating that the floods had an impact on the results, headmistress of the school, Thamilarasi said the attitude of several children changed after the deluge. "Many of our students were displaced and had to relocate to Perumbakkam. We were unable to contact their parents after the floods. We were unable to reach them with any updates. Though we were able to complete the syllabus, we had to rush it up towards the end," she said.
Government Model Higher Secondary School, Saidapet which was one of the 29 schools that remained shut for the longest period reported a 7% drop with this year's pass percentage. It trickled down to 79% from last year's 86%. "One of the main reasons behind the dip is floods which wrecked Chennai. Our school had been shut for more than 45 days as close to 3,000 people were housed in it," said Raja Kennedy, the head master of the school.
Other schools like Chennai Girls Higher Secondary School, Saidapet reported a 3% dip while Chennai Higher Secondary School in West Mambalam recorded a 5% reduction in pass percentage. Teachers at the school in Saidapet said despite a lot of students lost their books and homes they had managed to do well.