The results of the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination of the year 2012 was published the other day, in which less than 50 per cent of the students got through. A total of 419,049 students had appeared in the SLC examinations held in March this year, of which only 197,638 students passed. More than 50 per cent of the students failed, which shows the poor performance of our education sector. This year’s result is poorer than last year’s when 55.5 per cent of the students had passed. The SLC examination is a passport for students to pursue higher education.

The government has been claiming that it has done everything to raise the quality of education. However, this has not been reflected in the SLC results. If the performance of the public schools were to be analysed, the scenario is even bleaker. Most of those who passed are from the private schools. Since the government spends huge amounts from the national exchequer on school education, the great number of failures in the SLC examination raises a serious question about the quality of our education, examination system and performance of the teachers. There must be something very wrong either in our teachers’ performance or the supervision and monitoring of the government.

The SLC results should be an eye opener for the people who are at the helm of the Education Ministry, and they must make a proper assessment of where the flaw lies in our entire education system. This should help to take the necessary steps to improve the performance in the future. The SLC results should be made the basis for the evaluation of both schools and teachers. On the basis of this evaluation, a reward and punishment system should be strictly implemented. Another aspect that requires serious attention from the concerned sector is the approach of our education system. Education is knowledge and skills. But our education system produces certificate holders who lack the necessary skills and practical knowledge for income and employment generating activities. Efforts must be made to make our education practical, vocational and skill-oriented, which could, to some extent, address the unemployment problem of the country.