Maha HSC results: Consistent decline in performance of students from Arts stream

PUNE The Maharashtra State Board’s 2025 class 12 (HSC) results have highlighted a worrying trend namely, a consistent decline in the performance of students from the Arts stream. The results show that over the past four years, the passing percentage in the Arts stream has dropped by nearly 10% with a steep 5.36% fall recorded within the last year alone.

According to official data, the passing percentage in the Arts stream was 90.51% in 2022, which declined to 84.05% in 2023, then rose slightly to 85.88% in 2024, before dropping sharply to 80.52% in 2025. By contrast, the Science and Commerce streams have remained relatively stable with only about a 1% fluctuation in passing percentages over the same period.

As per the State Board, there is no concrete reason behind the declining performance of students from the Arts stream. According to education experts however, a majority of high-performing students opt for Science and Commerce after class 10, leaving a larger proportion of academically weaker students enrolling in the Arts stream. As a result, a lack of seriousness or focus on studies among some of these students may be contributing to the higher failure rates.

Sharad Gosavi, chairman of the Maharashtra State Board, said, “While the declining performance cannot be attributed to any specific cause, the trend of meritorious students preferring Science and Commerce streams after class 10 (SSC) is evident. The Arts stream tends to get students who opt for it as a last resort and this imbalance may be affecting overall performance.”

Retired professor Shankar Karnik from the Arts stream said, “The sharp decline in the Arts stream pass percentage is an alarming sign for future undergraduate enrolment in Humanities and social science programmes. It could have a cascading effect on university-level education and student intake in Arts colleges across the state.”

The decreasing interest in the Arts is also being attributed to the growing dominance of technology and higher employability rates associated with Science and Commerce degrees. Science graduates often have access to better career prospects, especially in the technology and medical sectors while Commerce graduates find opportunities in the corporate world. In comparison, career opportunities for Arts graduates remain limited, which further discourages high-performing students from opting for this stream.