The Government Schools Teachers’ Association, Delhi (GSTA), wrote to Delhi education minister Ashish Sood on Friday seeking his intervention in withdrawing of show-cause notices issued to government school teachers by their schools over a dip in the Class 12 board examination pass percentage.the decline was attributable to multiple flaws in the CBSE on-screen marking system, which was implemented for the first time this year, teachers’ body said. (Representative photo)The GSTA’s letter stated that the decline was attributable to multiple flaws in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) on-screen marking (OSM) system, which was implemented for the first time this year.The nationwide Class 12 pass percentage this year was 85.20%, down 3.19 percentage points from last year’s 88.39%, and the lowest since 2019, when it stood at 83.40%.The letter, reviewed by HT, stated that teachers were being held responsible for the decline in performance, with many issued show-cause notices and memoranda seeking explanations for the lower pass percentage.According to the letter, the OSM system was implemented without adequate preparation or assessment. It cited issues reported by teachers during the evaluation process, including blurred scans, incorrect answer booklets being uploaded and missing pages in answer sheets.“Despite the Union education minister acknowledging flaws in the system, teachers are being unfairly blamed for the lower pass percentage. Zonal education officers are asking principals to explain the results, and the pressure is being passed on to teachers. Many teachers received notices over the past week, even though concerns about shortcomings in the new system have been repeatedly raised by both students and teachers,” said GSTA general secretary Ajay Veer Yadav.HT reviewed notices issued on May 22 by the principal of a government school in Sultanpuri to two teachers. The notices stated that the results of students under their supervision were below the expected standard and had adversely affected the school’s overall performance.“You are hereby directed to explain the reasons for the poor performance and clarify why appropriate action should not be initiated for the unsatisfactory result. You are also required to submit details of corrective measures proposed by you to improve future academic performance. Your written explanation should reach the undersigned within three days of issuance of this notice, failing which it shall be presumed that you have nothing to state in your defence and further action shall be taken accordingly as per rules,” one of the notices stated.A teacher who received one of the notices told HT that such communications are routinely issued when a school fails to achieve a 100% pass percentage.“We usually achieve that benchmark, and we did so last year. When we fall short, only a handful of teachers are typically issued notices. This time, however, our pass percentage dropped to 61.7%, and notices were sent to several teachers despite widespread complaints from across the country about problems with the OSM. I have already submitted my reply, and no action is usually taken in such cases. But we want these notices withdrawn because they become part of our service records and remain a permanent blemish on our careers,” the teacher said, requesting anonymity.HAVE SENT QUERY TO ASHISH SOOD - RESPONSE AWAITED