Team Herald
PANJIM: With a 91.27 pass percentage at the Class X exams, successful students queued up outside top Higher Secondary Schools (HSS) in Panjim on Monday, even as the schools raised the bar by increasing the cut-off percentages.
The demand, particularly for the Science stream, is growing annually with some major HSS in the capital staying stiff on their cuts-offs.
“Our cut-off percentage soon after the results were announced was 85 percent for the Science stream and we received a number of applications, as this year admissions were done through an online portal. The cut-off for commerce was 65 per cent and for arts follows,” an official of Don Bosco Higher Secondary School in Panjim told Herald.
Mushtifund, Hedgevar and Dhempe HSS have also not given any concession on cut-offs as the requirement for obtaining admission for the Science stream was kept at 85 per cent.
Parents expressed concern with the cut-off percentages rising every year as they claim it is very difficult for an average student to get into a reputed school.
“My child has got 77 per cent in Class X and now is on the waiting list for getting admissions for science, but on the other hand I have already applied for commerce as a backup,” a parent standing outside Dhempe HSS at Cujira said.
Education Department authorities said the rush in admissions is primarily due to the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), an additional option that helped 297 students out of 2,036, clear the exams.
On Monday parents along with children were seen at various HSS across the capital standing in queue either for a prospectus or filing and submitting the admissions forms.
