Pass percentage of disabled students drops in Tamil Nadu board exams
Teachers urge the school education department to clarify scribe appointment rules following a decline in pass rates for Class 10 and 12 students.
The pass percentage for students with disabilities in Tamil Nadu state board examinations has declined, according to The New Indian Express. Teachers and headmasters are now requesting the school education department to clarify rules regarding the appointment of scribes before the 2027 public exams.
In the Class 12 board exams for the 2025-26 academic year, the pass percentage fell to 76.92 per cent from 93.10 per cent in 2024-25. While the number of candidates increased to 8,855 from 8,109, the number of those who passed dropped to 6,811 from 7,466.
Class 10 pass percentages also saw a decline, falling from 92.83 per cent in 2025 to 85.89 per cent in 2026. Although the number of candidates rose from 12,290 to 13,292, the number of students who passed was 11,416.
Teachers attributed the decline to a January 2026 decision by the school education department to bar subject teachers from acting as scribes to prevent misuse. Although the department proposed using college students and Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme volunteers, it partly reversed this decision in February.
S Santhosh, a visually impaired college student who took the Class 12 exams, said he failed English and Economics because his scribe did not understand his answers properly. A visually impaired teacher at a government special school said the problem lies in how scribes are allotted to students.
The teacher noted that some schools obtain medical certificates for students to secure scribes. Teachers have called for stricter verification of scribe requests by teams led by district chief educational officers. School education department officials said they would look into the issue.