Kerala shelves SSLC minimum marks plan, retains Class 1 admission age at 5

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will not introduce the minimum marks requirement for the SSLC examination this academic year. However, the system introduced in Classes 8 and 9 during the previous LDF government's tenure will continue.

The UDF government has decided to put on hold the LDF government's decision to introduce the minimum marks requirement for Class 10 from this academic year. Education Minister N Samsudheen said the decision was taken as the government needs to examine the practical issues involved.

Under the proposed minimum marks system, students would have to secure at least 30% in the written examination in each subject to pass. The 20% marks awarded by teachers through Continuous Evaluation (CE), which are currently also considered for determining whether a student passes, would not be enough to make up for a lower score in the written examination.

The decision to reintroduce a minimum marks requirement was taken two years ago following complaints that academic standards were declining. The system was introduced first in Class 8 in the 2024-25 academic year and extended to Class 9 in the previous academic year. The then government had decided to implement it for SSLC from this academic year as well.

In Classes 8 and 9, students who failed to secure 30% in the annual examination were not immediately declared unsuccessful. Instead, they were given special training during the vacation and another opportunity to take the examination. A similar system aimed at ensuring a minimum learning standard was introduced at the upper-primary level during the previous academic year.

However, implementing the system for SSLC would pose practical difficulties, as students who fail to secure 30% in the written examination in any subject would have to be declared unsuccessful. The move could sharply reduce the SSLC pass percentage, which has remained above 99% for years.

A lower SSLC pass percentage could also reduce the number of students seeking admission to Plus One courses and lead to further job losses in the higher secondary sector. The government has decided to examine these implications before making a final decision on whether to introduce a minimum marks requirement for SSLC.

However, the minimum age for admission to Class 1 in government schools will remain five years for the next academic year as well.

The Centre has insisted since 2022 that the minimum age for Class 1 admission be raised to six in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP). Kerala initially did not agree to the change.

The LDF government had decided in 2024 to raise the minimum admission age to six from the current academic year. However, it later deferred implementation to the next academic year. The UDF government has now decided not to implement the change.

The government’s assessment is that there is no need to change the five-year age limit that Kerala has followed for years. Raising the minimum age to six could also sharply reduce the number of children entering Class 1 that year.