‘Record no. of failures in 1st sem results under NEP’ sparks concern

Cooch Behar: A record number of students failed in the first semester results of undergraduate level this year under the New Education Policy. Approximately 85 per cent of students across Arts, Science and Commerce departments in colleges under Panchanan Barma University in Cooch Behar did not pass. The overall pass rate in all subjects plummeted to just 15 per cent, leaving the university in turmoil. However, amid this crisis, ABN Sheel College saw a 62 per cent pass rate among its first semester students.

There are a total of 14 degree colleges in the district under the purview of Panchanan Barma University of Cooch Behar. University authorities have announced that college principals will hold discussions with department heads to investigate the reasons behind the high failure rate this year. According to the new choice-based credit system (CBCS), approximately 16,000 students appeared for the first semester examination this year, with only about 2,450 students passing in all subjects.

Results of colleges under the administration of North Bengal University were declared on February 22, revealing a similar trend where 90 per cent of first semester students failed in one or more subjects. This concerning pattern across universities in North Bengal is raising alarm among teachers.

Pankaj Kumar Debnath, principal of Cooch Behar College, expressed disappointment with the student results.

Narendranath Roy, principal of Baneshwar Sarthibala Mahavidyalaya, intends to convene discussions with department heads following the examination results publication. Niloy Roy, principal of ABN Sheel College, attributed the challenging results to students grappling with a completely new syllabus.