Ranking system forces lowest ranked students to go for Arts in high school but with no scope beyond it

In the academic year 2024, all the students who were awarded pass certificates in Bhutan Certificates of Secondary Education (BCSE), 2023 were eligible for admission to the Government Higher Secondary Schools. 10, 636 seats were available in government higher secondary schools.

However, all the students with pass certificates are not eligible to take the Science stream in class 11 as there is a certain mark each student should get in the examination. Students opting to study Science should have a minimum of 45% in Mathematics and 55% percent in Science (average of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) with a minimum of 51% each in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

For the students to study Commerce, they should obtain a minimum of 40% marks in Mathematics in class 10 and all the students with pass certificates awarded are qualified to study Arts.

Regardless of the lack of Arts courses in the colleges and limited opportunities in the future, the students with lower grades are left with the only option to opt for Arts in classes 11 and 12.

Due to the intake capacity of some of the schools, there aren’t enough seats available for all the students in the other streams, therefore, even though some of the students are eligible for streams other than Arts, especially Commerce, they are left with the only option to enroll in the Arts stream.

However, that doesn’t apply to all the schools and the choices are given to them if they have the required marks.

This restricted choice leaves students feeling disheartened and uncertain about their future. With few Arts courses available in colleges and limited job opportunities in fields traditionally associated with the Arts, these students face a challenging road ahead. The lack of options not only limits their academic growth, but also restricts their ability to explore their interests and talents fully.

As they progress through classes 11 and 12, they struggle with issues related to their identity, goals, and the justice of a system that seems to set them up for success based only on their academic standing.

According to the Chief Education Officer of Dagana, there are four higher secondary schools in the Dagana, and out of four, three schools offer the Arts stream. Additionally, it is also mentioned that merit-based admission determines the choice of the stream, and so those with lower ranks are classified as Arts.

The Principal of Jakar Higher Secondary School said, “Students who are taking Arts in  class 11 from Bumthang and Trongsa are all in Jakar Higher Secondary School this year, and there is a total of 18 students which is barely comparable to the total number of students in a section.”

As in Gasa, the only higher secondary school is Bjishong Higher Secondary School, and there are only 19 Arts students enrolled in class 11.

The main reason why students are reluctant to take the Arts stream is due to the limited courses in the colleges for the Arts students, and there are a few students who are genuinely interested to learn the subjects associated with the Arts stream.

All the Arts students in class 11 from Wangduephodrang are in Phobjikha Central School this year. Some of the students out there did not qualify for the Commerce and Science streams, so their only option was to study Arts.

However, some of them were obligated to take the Arts stream due lack of seats for the Commerce stream.

There are four higher secondary schools in Mongar, and the Chief Education Officer said, “There are Arts students in class 11 in all the schools in Mongar, and there are around 25 to 35 students in each school.”

In the Gelephu Higher Secondary School, there are 28 students taking Arts in class 11. Their reason for taking Arts stream is nothing different from the students who took Arts in other schools.

The Chief Education Officer of Trashigang brought up that there is a section of class 11 Arts students in all 5 higher secondary schools in Trashigang, and there are two sections in Khaling school which is surprisingly unique from current circumstances.

Department of School Education mentioned that the grading system has been put in place with good intentions. Not only that, the cut-off marks for the students are also minimal.

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