Ludhiana: 4,197 appear to make the cut in SoE schools

Aspiring to secure a seat in one of the 16 government schools selected under the School of Eminence (SoE) scheme in the district, as many as 4,197 students appeared for the entrance exam for Class 11 on Sunday.

The test was conducted at the 16 selected schools in Ludhiana from 10 am to 1 pm. While around 8,000 students had registered for the entrance exam till the last date April 4, only 6,193 proceeded to submit the form and paid the fees.

The reasoning and scholastic aptitude test, which included 150 questions from different subjects such as maths, social studies, Hindi, Punjabi, and logical reasoning, was conducted by the State Council of Education Research Training (SCERT) Punjab. The test is a way to select around 30,000 students for the SoE scheme.

According to Devinder Singh, a student of a private school, the question paper was based on the Class 10 syllabus and was doable as he had been studying for the boards. However, he found maths to be challenging. The exam was taken on OMR sheets, and students were not allowed to take the question paper home. The invigilators collected the question papers at the centres, he added.

Amrita, a student of GSSS Basti Jodhwal, who appeared at Government School, Sekhewal, said that she aspires to get the best education available and hopes to secure above 90% marks in Class 10. She wants to get admission either at a SoE selected school or a meritorious school. She aims to join the ranks of the Indian administrative services. She hopes to get the desired guidance and education if she makes the cut.

Naresh Kumar, principal at Sekhewal School, stated that around 350 students appeared for the test at his school out of 442. He said as per initial information, a batch of 35 students would be inducted under the scheme.

The schools which have been selected for the scheme have been directed to turn down students seeking admission to Class 6 and ensure that they get admission to nearby government schools. The focus will be laid on creating a special atmosphere for students of classes 9 to 12 while the rest of the classes will be discontinued each year.

The schools which have been selected under SoE are GGSSS Shaheed-E_Azam Sukhdev Thapar, GMSSS Miller Ganj, GSSS Doraha, GSSS Jagraon, GSSS Sahnewal, GGSSS Khanna, GSSS Mundian Kalan, GSSS Gill, GSSS Samrala, GMSSS Model Town, GSSS Baddowal Cantt, GSSS Division number three, GSSS Jawahar Nagar, GSSS Indrapuri, GSSS Dadhahur, GSSS Sekhewal.

A government school teacher, requesting anonymity, suggested that since the registrations for the entrance exam were held during the Class 10 board exams, a number of students missed the deadline for registration. As a result, some students are now visiting schools and the department should consider other ways for them to apply.