How Ariyalur upped its education game, topped TN in Class 12 exams
Dedicated teachers, focussed learning, proactive role of administration helped district rise from Rank 12 in 2016 to Rank 1 in 2025 with a pass percentage of 98.82 pc
Tamil Nadu’s Ariyalur, once considered among the most underdeveloped districts in the state, has shown remarkable progress in education, topping the state in both Class 11 and Class 12 examinations for the academic year 2024-25. The district, which stood third in the state in Class 12 examinations with a pass percentage of 97.25 per cent in 2024, bettered its performance this year with a pass percentage of 98.82, to top the state in board examinations held in March this year.
The transformation has been attributed to dedicated and consistent efforts by teachers, focused learning with special attention on weaker students, and the proactive role of the district administration in ensuring overall improvement of students.
52 schools record 100 pc pass percentage
The district has 92 schools, including 56 government institutes. As many as 8,533 students appeared for the Class 12 examination in Ariyalur, of which 8,432 students cleared the exam from 29 government schools. Of the 8,432, 4,304 were girls.
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Further, 53 of the 92 schools recorded a 100 per cent pass percentage. This includes 29 government schools. The district’s government schools, recording a pass percentage of 98.32, made Ariyalur secure the topmost position in the state in the category too.
"The district’s rank improved to 12th in 2015-16. Subsequently, in 2021-2022, the district secured eighth position in the state in Class 12 examination performance with a pass percentage of 96.47 per cent. In 2022-2023, it stood tenth with 96.88 per cent. In 2024, it climbed to the third spot with 97.25 per cent," said T Soundrapandian, District ECO Coordinator at the Chief Education Officer’s office in Ariyalur.
Ariyalur also topped the state in the recently-held Class 11 examinations.
Proactive teachers
Crediting teachers with making the stellar results possible with their hard work and dedication, Chief Education Officer, I Sivananthan, said that it was necessary for the tutors to take the lead as parents are not well-educated to guide their wards.
“The teachers keep an eye on students who don’t do well in tests that are held periodically. The improved performance is due to the consistent efforts of these teachers," he said.
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He said teachers are entrusted with identifying underperforming Class 12 students and giving them special attention.
Speed tests, learning materials
Besides identifying students who need special focus, schools also conduct daily speed tests to improve their performance.
"We have an interaction with the focus group of students in the morning and evening hours on a regular basis. We also have a WhatsApp group to remind students and emphasise the important sections of the syllabus," Murugesan, a physics teacher at a government school in the district, told The Federal.
A significant initiative was the introduction of Minimum Learning Material – a condensed syllabus designed to help students grasp the essentials.
“The Minimum Learning Material ensures that at least the children pass the examination, if not score high. The Minimum Learning Material this time covered 45-50 marks from the question paper. Earlier, only five sets were distributed per school. This year, every student received the material in January,” Murugesan says.
Murugesan says regular interaction with parents has also played a key role in helping students perform well. “We conduct monthly meetings with parents to encourage them to support their children’s studies and prevent dropouts,” he says.
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High attendance, effective monitoring
High attendance is also one of the primary reasons that helped the district improve its examination scores.
Soundrapandian said, "We ensure students are regular to school. Attendance here is comparatively better, with a minimum of at least 70 per cent. The School Education Department, in coordination with the District Collectorate, has been actively monitoring student attendance through class teachers. If irregularity is noticed, it is thoroughly investigated."
Soundrapandian said that the district's smaller size and sufficient staffing made effective monitoring and intervention easier.
Brainstorming sessions, inspections
It is noted that the role of monitoring at the administrative level has also been crucial.
S Elancherizhan, another teacher from the district, says that the Chief Education Officer conducts meetings with teachers for every subject. The meetings focus on improving the scores with direct discussions with each teacher. Every school's strategy is discussed on a one-on-one basis and successful strategies are implemented in other schools as well.
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That apart, a review meeting with headmasters is held regularly to look at the challenges and opportunities to improve the scores during preliminary exams.
Elancherizhan said the District Education Officer also inspects the schools directly on a regular basis. “We have noticed that there are dropouts who are living with their grandparents, and their parents are working in other districts. We ensure that the students do not drop out of schools,” Elancherizhan adds.
