Class X students need to score 35 in optional language

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu school education department has fixed 35 marks as minimum pass marks in the optional language for students studying in linguistic minority institutions to clear the board exams.
The score will be printed on the Class X marksheet, and it will be implemented from the 2024-25 academic year, school education secretary J Kumaragurubaran said in a government order issued on Feb 13.
Following the implementation of Tamil Learning Act, 2006, scores in the Part IV optional language have not been considered to pass in board exams.
Following the Supreme Court’s order, the Tamil Nadu Common Syllabus Board has decided to fix 35 marks as minimum pass marks for the optional language and students studying in linguistic minority institutions need to clear six subjects instead of five.
About 4,000 students are in minority language schools including Kannada, Telugu, Urdu and Malayalam schools in Class X.
In its recent order, the Supreme Court has said that the minimum marks as is provided for other subjects should also be provided for mother tongue and reflected in the marksheet.
“We are of the view that the appellants are right in contending that in order to suitably protect the interests of the linguistic minority institutions and linguistic minorities, while proficiency in Tamil and English is required, they must be incentivized to have a similar proficiency in their mother tongue, albeit, as an optional subject,” the court had said.
Experts said this move may not be helpful to students. “Passing in an optional language paper may not be helpful in getting admission in higher education,” said K Devarajan, former director of school education.