Mangaluru: With govt school students in Dakshina Kannada logging a 74.4% pass rate in mathematics in Jan’s second preparatory SSLC exam, the department of school education and literacy has rolled out special classes, deployed expert teachers and stepped up preparation in low-performing schools. Teachers trained online will now be assigned to support students ahead of the next exam, DDPI GS Shashidhar said.Department figures show 5,414 mathematics failures out of 27,636 students, prompting a stronger remedial push before the finals. Mathematics logged an overall pass percentage of 78%, compared with first language (88.8%), second language (87.6%), third language (90.9%), science (81.5%) and social science (84.5%). Officials said the disparity has led schools to intensify remedial work before the next preparatory exam and the board test.A department official said aided schools posted 72.5% in mathematics and unaided schools 83.9%. Officials said the differences reflect varying support systems, even as the subject poses challenges across categories.Headteachers said persistent difficulty, especially in govt schools, stems from late academic focus and limited external support. One headteacher said that mathematics often receives concentrated attention only in SSLC, rather than being strengthened in classes 8 and 9; while govt high schools have well-trained teachers, outcomes have not matched expectations. The teacher added that mathematics cannot be mastered through memorisation, and many govt school students cannot afford the private tuition that aided and unaided school students rely on.An SSLC coordinator said repeated practice and revision are essential. Schools have begun targeted interventions after reviewing performance across the two preparatory exams and are using the data to identify weak areas and students needing additional support.Officials said model question papers and answer keys were distributed. Another official noted that small errors in applying formulae can derail entire answers, making the paper seem simple but confusing under pressure.The department said expert teachers will coach students who failed, with low-performing schools receiving focused attention ahead of the next preparatory test.
