BENGALURU: Karnataka’s jump to a record 86.4% pass percentage in II PU exam-1 this year follows a series of tightly coordinated interventions by the state primary and secondary education department under minister Madhu Bangarappa, with officials pointing to structural changes rather than a one-time surge.Calling it a result of “planned academic intervention,” Bangarappa told TOI that the focus was on strengthening the entire teaching-learning cycle. “We ensured timely completion of syllabus, standardised preparation tools and monitoring of academic progress in colleges.”Time for revisionOne of the key measures was mandating completion of the syllabus by Dec, giving students time for revision and practice. “This created a structured preparation window before the exam, which was missing earlier,” the minister said.The department also ensured the early appointment of guest lecturers from June. “Availability of teachers from day one helped avoid learning gaps, especially in govt colleges,” he said. For the first time, uniform academic support material was rolled out statewide. “We introduced subject-wise blueprints, model question papers and exhaustive question banks so that students clearly understand the pattern and expectations,” he added.Preparatory examsA major shift came with the conduct of two state-level preparatory examinations using centrally set papers. “These exams helped us identify student-wise and subject-wise gaps. Based on that, targeted interventions were taken at the college level,” the minister said.To track the implementation, the department introduced large-scale academic monitoring. “We conducted regular audio conferences with thousands of lecturers to review progress and ensure accountability,” he said, adding that training programmes through District Institutes of Education and Training and the Department of State Educational Research and Training were held to improve teaching methods.The minister highlighted the steps to fix accountability. “Where academic performance was consistently poor, the responsibility was fixed. This sent a clear message across the system,” he said. Focused attention was given to underperforming regions. “In Kalyana Karnataka, we held direct meetings with principals and closely monitored the performance,” the minister said.
