Chennai: Chief education officers and district education officers have been tasked with devising ways, including preparation of school-wise performance reports and charting action plans for improvement, to improve the performance of govt schools, especially in Classes X and XII.Decisions to this effect were taken at the first review meeting, chaired by school education minister Rajmohan with district chiefs and officials from the school education department on Friday. Officials have also been asked to seek the help of the district institute for education and training (DIET) to devise strategies, if needed, and keep the district collectors in the loop.“Most schools have already been issued individual reports. This quarter, the CEOs and DEOs will have to devise an idea or an initiative and introduce it in schools and at the district level to boost performance. They have to discuss with heads of low-performing schools, understand what is lacking and facilitate immediate redress,” school education director S Kannappan said.Regular inspections will be carried out, and the performance of schools will be assessed again after the quarterly exams, he added.In board exams this year, the state secured an overall pass percentage of 95.2 in Class XII and 94.3 in Class X. As for govt schools, the state secured 92.16 in Class XII and 91.87 in Class X. However, 16 districts scored below the state average for Class XII, and 12 districts for Class X. Chennai figured in both these lists.Chennai chief education officer M Kabir said the focus for this year was on improving the district’s performance to match the state average. “Our pass percentage has been improving steadily every year. Once we cross the state average, our rankings will jump by double-digit figures,” he added.School heads said they had to wait and watch to see what strategies would be proposed to boost performance. “In our district, we have been encouraged to hold headmasters’ meetings regularly to review and discuss strategies and for knowledge-sharing,” a school head from Chengalpet said.
