Cent per cent marks in school final exams - must be in Maths or Science right? Wrong. This year’s CBSE Class X results revealed that city students can score this high even in Social Science

Hyderabad: If students thought school principals can never be happy with their performance, then this year’s CBSE results would have surprised them no end. In what principals say are “unbelievable” figures, the CBSE Class X results of three regions - Chennai, Ajmer and Panchkula - announced on Tuesday, saw city students fare exceptionally well, especially in Social Science. In fact several schools registered an increase of close to 50 per cent in the number of students scoring 90 plus and an impressive number of students scoring a neat 100 per cent in the subject.

   “This is unheard of,” said Anjali Razdan, principal, Jubilee Hills Public School adding, “Students did well in this subject earlier too, but we never saw so many of them get 90 or 100 per cent marks.”

   While some schools like Chirec Public School, Silver Oaks and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan boasted of 100 per cent scorers in Social Science, most of the other schools also had students with 99 in the subject. An ecstatic Sita Murthy, principal, Silver Oaks said, “All our 23 students who appeared for the board examination have got above 90 per cent in Social Science. This, I feel, is quite an achievement for us. We are pleasantly surprised.”

   What could be the reason for this sudden improvement? Principals think it is primarily due to the change in curriculum. “Social Science was always considered a boring subject. However, in the last academic year, the structure was changed and made more project-oriented. This appealed to students who now find Social Science more interesting and this reflects in their marks,” said Urmila Nair, vice-principal, St Andrews High School. Of 35 students who took their Class X exams from this school, 16 crossed the 90 per cent mark in the subject.

   Agreeing with Nair, Col Ray, principal, Orchids International School says that the change in curriculum has also increased the scope of scoring in the subject. “The fact that it is more objective now helped students to fare well,” he said.

   Apart from an increased interest in the subject, what worked for students of Meridian School is the fact that 85 to 90 per cent of the question paper was similar to that of their pre-boards. No surprises then that one student of the school scored a 100 per cent in Social Science while most of the others bagged a 98 or 99 in the subject. “Our students have been very lucky that way. Though we were skeptical about the results due to some problem with one picture question, I am glad my students got it right,” said Usha Reddy, principal of the school, accepting that luck apart, her students did put in a lot of hard work too.

   On the other hand principals of Delhi Public School and Kenedy Global School are not surprised at the 100 per cent scores in Social Science as their students had achieved this in previous years too. However they are definitely amazed at the number of students in the 90 and above bracket. “To have 21 students from a class of 69 score above 90 per cent in a subject is a huge thing; more so when you compare it to last year’s figures in which we had only four out of 56 students cross 90 per cent marks in Social Science,” said Koteshwaramma, principal, Kenedy Global School.

   While it was the Social Science results that grabbed the attention of most teachers and principals, the Maths scores too were quite satisfying. Most schools had a 100 per cent in the subject with a large number of students crossing the 90 per cent mark.

   Other subjects that saw students do well this time were Science and Sanskrit. For Nakul Sehgal of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, a 100 in Sanskrit came as a surprise. “I knew I would secure good marks in the subject, but never imagined getting a 100,” said the excited young boy who made his school and parents proud by securing 97.8 per cent marks to become, probably, the city’s highest scorer this year.

Toppers exult       The premises of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan school in Jubilee Hills echoed to cheers on Tuesday as soon as the CBSE Class X results were announced. The school had not only secured a 100 per cent pass percentage, but also bagged the first and third ranks in the city. With Nakul Sehgal securing a neat 97.8 per cent and Pranav Garg getting a 97.2 per cent, the school was sure that they were way ahead of their competitors. The school’s third rank holder R Meenakshi Pratap too got an impressive 96.8 per cent.

   “My joy knows no limits,” said a proud Rama Devi, principal of the school as she went on to praise the little stars. “They are very hard working and bright. I am happy for their success,” she said.

   Nakul, son of Brigadier Vivek Sehgal and Poonam Sehgal, said that he was “shocked” to see his results as he had always thought it would be restricted to 95 per cent. “This was really not what I thought would happen,” said the topper who aims to get into IIT for a career in engineering. His report card with a 98 in Science, 99 in Maths, 100 in Sanskrit, 94 in English and 98 in Social Science, reads like a dream and Nakul agrees that he could not have asked for anything better.

   Pranav showed how much he loves his books - even after seeing his result, he said, “No celebrations for me. Maybe I will sit and read.” With a 100 in Maths and 98 in Science, Pranav plans to take up research in Physics sometime in future. His mother Parul Garg however does nothing to hide her emotions at his brilliant performance. “I am elated. It always feels great to see your children do well. Pranav is a very sincere student and loves to spend time with his books. I always knew he would do well,” she said.

All Achievers       It feels great to have scored well and be the topper of my school. Maths has always been my favourite subject and I found Social Science very . as preparations are concerned, I followed a regular routine and made sure that I took breaks to refresh my mind.
C ANNAPURNA, Chirec Public School, 96.4 per cent

I am extremely happy. I dedicate this success to my hard work and the blessings of my teachers, who not only guided me through out my preparations, but also boosted my morale. It was the first batch of Silver Oaks that appeared for the boards and I am glad I have topped it.
K V D S KALYAN  -  Silver Oaks, 94 per cent.

I am very happy to see my result and also to learn that I have stood first in the school. It is my hard work that has paid off. I am glad that I had the support of my parents as well as all my teachers and friends throughout my Class X. I feel even they deserve credit for my success.

ANURAG REDDY -  St Andrews High School, 93.8 per cent