… they are concerned about their future 

Neten Dorji | Trashigang 

Of 41 Tashitse HSS students who reappeared for the board examination last month, seven failed. They had to resit the exams after their answer scripts were allegedly stolen.

Of 26 Science students, 19 students managed to get through four subjects, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and English II. All 15 commerce students who re-sat for English II passed.

Sonam Zangmo who topped the trial exam said that the second paper was more difficult than the previous one. She expected to score an overall 80 percent in all science subjects. She scored only 65 in Chemistry and 58 in Physics.

“But my marks are relatively less than what I expected. Re-examinations have seriously hampered my chances,” said Sonam.

Another student, Kuenzang Tshering, said that the marks he scored were comparatively lower than what he expected. He scored 57 in Chemistry and 67 in Mathematics.

“It is unfair because my paper went well and I was expecting more than 70 marks,” said Kuenzang. “Firstly, we didn’t get time to prepare for the exam unlike before. Secondly, we relaxed after the first examination and were not in touch with our books for more than two weeks.”

Most of the students claim that the re-examination has messed up their performance and vacations. “I came out of the exam hall happily and shared with others that the first paper was easy,” recalled one of the students.

He said that most of the students performed well in the previous paper in December.

Students said that the re-examination has affected their performance. They are now nervous about whether they would qualify for college.

“With low scores in Physics and Chemistry, now I am worried if I will be able to get into a college,” said a Class XII student, Sonam Choden. “It is sad that all of us have to suffer because of someone else’s fault.”

She has decided to repeat class 12 if she does not qualify for any colleges under the Royal University of Bhutan.

Students said that provided adequate time for preparation, they could have performed well in the second exam. Most of them said they haven’t had enough time to prepare.

“At least, I could manage the pass mark, if we did not have to resit for the exam,” said a student. “BCSEA officials told us that they would consider our performance of the school year, but do not know whether they have considered it or not.”

Another student said, “We haven’t got a break between the examinations unlike the previous examinations and preparation time for the next paper.”

One of the students managed 72 marks in Biology but failed in the other two science subjects.

Their parents were equally disappointed that the hard work of their children has come to nought.

“My daughter is surprised that her marks are lower than what she used to score in home exams,” said a parent.

“Many parents like us are upset about their children’s results,” another parent said. “I am worried if my daughter would qualify to continue her education.”