After poor SSLC results, Karnataka govt issues 29-point reform plan
Measures include syllabus deadline, special classes, bi-monthly PTMs, daily attendance tracking
Bengaluru: In response to growing concerns over declining Class 10 (SSLC) results in Karnataka, the Department of School Education and Literacy has rolled out a comprehensive 29-point action plan aimed at improving student performance.
According to a Deccan Herald report published on Friday, the new guidelines come after the SSLC pass percentage, which stood at 54% in 2024, rose to 73% only after grace marks were granted to 1.7 lakh students. Despite a marginal improvement in 2025 to 62%, the overall outcome remains unsatisfactory, prompting the department to intervene.
As per the new guidelines, schools must complete the syllabus by December 2025 and are required to conduct special classes along with bi-monthly parent-teacher meetings for Class 10 students. Teachers have also been instructed to counsel students at least twice on the harmful effects of mobile phone and social media addiction.
Daily attendance tracking through the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) has been made mandatory. Additionally, under the "early warning system," teachers are expected to visit the homes of students who are absent for more than seven days to investigate the reasons and ensure their return to school.
The guidelines further direct schools to monitor student progress through regular unit tests and introduce “wake up calls” through teachers each morning to ensure that students are studying. One hour per week must also be allocated for sports activities to help students manage stress.
Underperforming schools will be identified, and deputy directors (administration) at the district level have been tasked with addressing key problem areas.
The guidelines also mandate department officials to conduct weekly visits to schools on Fridays and analyse the learning progress in the respective schools.
Schools have been instructed to conduct three preparatory exams with webcasting, and students who fail the board exams will be allowed to re-register. The department has called for awareness campaigns at the taluk and zilla levels to ensure maximum participation in the re-registration process.
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8 dead, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port
Kyiv (AP): Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning.
Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged.
The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.
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Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday.
The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship “Okhotnik,” according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app.
The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added.
A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil. Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
