The Bhutanese Leading the way.
In the Bhutan Certificate of Secondary Education (BCSE) class X Examination conducted by the Bhutan Council for School Examination and Assessment (BCSEA) in December 2022, a total of 10,611 candidates from 144 schools (132 government and 12 private schools) registered and 10,505 (4,784 male and 5,721 female) of them appeared for the examination.
The overall pass percentage is 71.58% which is an increase of 1.46% over 70.12% of 2021. The pass percentage has been calculated based on the number of candidates who passed in Dzongkha and three other subjects.
Of the 15 subjects, the pass percentage in mathematics is 44.29% which is the lowest that the students have performed while in vocational subjects, the overall pass percentage is 100%.
Vedanth Bhandari of Loselling Middle Secondary School in Thimphu holds the first position scoring 95%, Mangthoe Paelmo of Losel Gaytsho Academy in Gelephu holds the second position scoring 93.20% and Tshewang Zangmo of Khasadrapchu MSS in Thimphu holds the third position scoring 92.20% in the BCSE 2022 examination.
According to the press release, the pass percentage has decreased as compared to the past 10 years. From 2011 to 2020, the pass percentage has been over 90%.
The BCSEA official shared that till 2020, the passing criteria were a bit different. If students score 35, they are promoted and they need not have to pass both CA and theory. Starting off with the new assessment criteria, where students have to pass both in theory and CE and in addition, the passing mark increased from 35 to 40.
Now with the change in promotion policy, children are starting to take studies more seriously. “So, in time when this really settles down, we expect our pass percentages to increase over time,” the official added.
While the pass percentage in Mathematics is the lowest compared to other academic subjects. The official said a thorough assessment has been done for math teachers in terms of capacity development and reskilling in the areas of their domain. Also, to develop relevant training courses. “We are doing a lot of work on improving math performance,” said the official added.
In the Language and Cultural Studies Certificate (LCSC) class X Examination conducted by BCSEA, a total of 7 candidates from one government school registered, 4 students passed the exams while three failed. The overall pass percentage is 57.14%.
Sonam Choden holds the first position with 70.80%, Ugyen Namgay holds the second position and Deki Yangzom holds the third position with 67.60%. the LCSE toppers are from Taktse Central School.
Meanwhile, all the class X pass students will be enrolled in government schools. The BCSEA official said the government schools have the capacity to enroll all the students who have made it to class XI because most of the middle schools have been upgraded. However, the government will look into it according to the situation and it also depends on the personal preference of both parents and students.
In the 2021 academic year, the ministry of education and skilling development enrolled about 1,500 students in private schools out of 12,500 students and the rest were absorbed in government schools.
