Bengaluru school marks UKG student as ‘fail’ in a test, education dept sends notice | Azad Times

A private school in Bengaluru has marked a six-year-old UKG student as “fail’ in the results declared on the school’s mobile app, following which the state education department has sought an explanation from the school. The child’s parents and educationists have slammed the school management for taking an insensitive approach to communicating exam results. 

The incident took place at the Saint Joseph Chaminade Academy, located in Deepahalli in Anekal taluk on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The marks card issued to the child on the school app mentioned that she had “failed” in the rhymes subject with a score of five marks out of 40, reportedly because she was unable to recite a couple of rhymes in an oral exam. According to South First, the child’s father Manoj Badal wrote a post on a Facebook group named Bangalore Schools, demanding that education officials look into the issue. 

“The state education department and the CISCE should look into this issue. How can they expect a six-year-old to understand what is fail or pass? Isn’t this psychologically traumatic for my child? What do we tell my child who is repeatedly asking if I have passed or failed?” the father’s post reportedly said. According to the report, the school management said that the physical result card did not indicate that the student had “failed”, and that they did not detain any students till Class 8. 

BJP MLA and former Education Minister S Suresh Kumar slammed the school management and asked, "What is this so-called institution up to regarding the child? I want to visit this 'wonderful' school once," he said. He also directed the authorities to take action over the incident. 

On the other hand, the parents of the child have also heavily criticised the school. "Declaring the result of a six-year-old child is not correct and it will make the child suffer," the child’s father stated.

The school management has said that the institution has not declared anyone as “fail”. The report card was related to a unit test. The school management said that it uses a mobile application for the results, and the pass marks and fail marks are set by default. The matter has been brought to the notice of the parents and the software company has already been consulted for rectification, the school authorities said. 

Block Education Officer from Anekal Jayalakshmi has issued a notice to the school and sought clarification over the issue. The department has asked the school to submit written clarification by Thursday, February 9, failing which the permission to the school would be withdrawn, the notice warned.