HSC success rate drops marginally to 91.88%

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) declared the results of its class 12 Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination on Monday, over two weeks ahead of usual schedule. The overall pass percentage this year was 91.88%, a decline of 1.49% from the previous year, when pass percentage was 93.37%.

Over 1.4 million students appeared for the HSC examination across nine divisions in the state this year, among whom over 1.3 million passed the exam successfully. The Konkan division topped the state again as 22,797 of the 23,563 students who appeared for the exam passed successfully, resulting in an impressive 96.74% success rate. The Latur division, once renowned for rigorous study methods and high success rates, featured at the bottom with a success rate of 89.46%.

In the Mumbai division, 291,955 of the 314,144 students who appeared for the exam passed successfully, pegging the success rate at 92.93%, a slight improvement over last year.

Special category students also performed commendably. Of the 7,310 students with disabilities who registered for the exam, 7,258 appeared and 6,705 passed, resulting in a success rate of 92.38%. Among repeaters, 42,388 students had registered, among which 42,024 appeared for the exam and 15,823 passed, marking a significantly lower pass percentage of 37.65%. Among private candidates, 36,133 students had registered for the exam, of which 35,697 appeared and 29,892 cleared it, resulting in a pass rate of 83.73%.

This was the first time the board declared the HSC results in the first week of May as opposed to May-end. The move is aimed at helping students complete admission processes for higher education and competitive exams without delay. The board had advanced the examination schedule from late February to February 10 this year to facilitate the shift.

The state government had conducted a “copy-free exam” campaign this year to curb malpractices. Several exam centres were declared sensitive and placed under heightened surveillance under the campaign. Anti-copying squads were also deployed at exam centres. Despite such stringent measures, the board recorded 353 cases of cheating—almost the same as last year’s 356.

Sharad Gosavi, chairman, MSBSHSE, said during a press briefing on Monday that the board had identified 124 centres from which most of the copying cases were reported. A thorough inquiry would be conducted into the lapses, and if any of the exam centres were found guilty, they could be barred from hosting future board examinations, he said.

Gosavi also said that starting next year, the exam pattern would undergo a major transformation to align it with the National Education Policy (NEP). The board is currently working on the new pattern, which is likely to incorporate the latest assessment methods and make the exam more student-friendly and application-oriented, he said.

Toppers from three streams

Twin sisters ace in Science

Twin sisters Arushi and Ayati Sinha, students of Ramnarain Ruia Junior College in Matunga, were the top scorers from the city in the science stream. Arushi secured 98.17% while Ayati scored 95.67%.

The sisters were born and raised in Vikhroli and had scored an identical 98% in their class 10 exam. Although they opted for the science stream in junior college, they do not wish to pursue engineering or medicine degrees but are interested in higher studies in mathematics and statistics, the latter a field they genuinely enjoy, they said.

Their mother, Priscilla Sinha, who works as an actuary, has been a major source of inspiration for the twins. “We are extremely proud of their success,” she said. “They have always studied together, which has helped them a lot. Both have a natural inclination towards mathematics, and since neither was interested in medicine or engineering, they’ve chosen a path that makes them happy.”

Their father is self-employed, and the sisters balance their academic pursuits with their hobbies, which include reading and solving mathematical problems.

St Xavier’s shines in Commerce

St Xavier’s College stood out this year with its performance in the commerce stream. Adya Choudhary, the college’s likely top scorer, secured an impressive 97.17%. Adya had scored 98% in her class 10 exam but opted for commerce instead of science or arts as she wants to pursue a career in management.

“I largely studied for the exam on my own, but received consistent support from teachers, which helped me stay on track,” she said. “I am now preparing for the entrance exam for undergraduate management programmes.”

Adya’s father is a naval officer and her mother is a homemaker. Her choice to pursue management highlights a growing shift among students, who no longer see commerce as a fallback option.

Other colleges that registered good results in the commerce stream included Podar College, where 288 students scored above 90%, and Mithibai College, where three students – Darak Raghav, Shah Arham and Vyas Rajvi – scored an identical 97%.

Jai Hind student excels in Arts

Vrinda Pandya from Jai Hind College scored an impressive 96.67%, likely the top score in the Arts stream in the city. Pandya hopes to pursue her higher studies in economics, though she is still considering her career options. She prepared for the HSC exam mostly on her own, with support from her teachers in college, she said.

Overcoming multiple barriers

Not bound by visual impairment

Aayush Lonkar, a 50% visually impaired commerce student from Podar College, Matunga, scored an impressive 93.17% in the HSC exam.

Son of a section engineer at the railway workshop in Parel, Aayush studied at Shirodkar High School in Parel till class 10 and scored 89% in the SSC exam, demonstrating his academic prowess. Supported by his close-knit family, especially his sister, he has never let his visual impairment define his limits. “My sister helped me immensely during my studies. Her support kept me going,” he said.

The young boy has now set his sights on a career in management and is preparing for the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore entrance exam scheduled next week. “I want to pursue a degree in management and build a future where I am independent and successful,” he said confidently.

Clearing HSC after 20 years

Lakshmi Subhash Gaikwad, a widowed mother of two, returned to studies after more than two decades and scored an impressive 84.83% in the Arts stream. The sole breadwinner for her family since her husband’s demise in 2015, she earns around ₹8,000 per month from various odd jobs. She has no house of her own and lives with her two children, mother and brother in difficult circumstances.

Lakshmi returned to studies with help from Masoom, a nonprofit that supports night school learners. The organisation provided her with textbooks and stationery and paid her board exam fees, allowing her to invest in her children’s tuition instead – her son and daughter study in class eight and six, respectively. Even then, juggling household chores and livelihood pursuits posed significant challenges and she missed several classes as the study centre was located far from her home.

After the results were declared on Monday, she was beaming. “I want to educate both my children and become independent,” she said. “Masoom gave me the courage to dream again, and I now want to find a government job and buy a two-wheeler so I can manage my time better.”

Studying on her own terms

Prachi Kamble, a 28-year-old transwoman from the Govandi slums, defied multiple social and personal odds to clear the HSC exam with a score of 51% percent in the Commerce stream. She had passed the SSC exam in 2013 but had to drop out after that owing to due to several challenges. Her dream of studying further remained on hold till last year, when she enrolled in school again after being selected as a fellow by the nonprofit Coro India.

Prachi funded her own education from her limited earnings even though it was tough to manage expenses. “It wasn’t easy, but I just knew I had to do this for myself,” she said.

She now dreams of pursuing higher education and becoming financially independent. “Education has given me a sense of purpose and identity beyond how society defines me,” she said.