Class 12 science passouts up 16%, Centre mulls more STEM seats, staff

A rise in science stream students, especially girls, prompts the Centre to seek increased STEM seats, better state-level planning, and expansion of open school systems

With the number of students passing their higher secondary or Class 12 exams in the science stream rising significantly, the Union Education Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) is preparing to ask its higher education counterpart to plan for an increase in seats and teachers for science-based programmes.

 

According to the latest data shared by the ministry, 6.1 million students passed their Class 12 exams in the science stream in 2024—a 16 per cent increase from 5.24 million students in 2022.

 

Officials attribute this rise to improved availability of subject-wise laboratories, qualified teachers, Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs), and smart classrooms in schools.

 

 

“Around 900,000 more students from the science stream passed their higher secondary exams in 2024, necessitating a similar increase in higher education seats in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses to meet the demand,” an official with DoSEL said. 

 

 

There has also been a significant rise in the number of girls choosing the science stream in Class 11. “The number of girls passing their Class 12 exams in science subjects has surpassed those in the arts for the first time in 2024,” the official added.

 

While 2.81 million girls in the science stream passed their Class 12 exams in 2024, only 2.72 million did so in the arts. The corresponding figures in 2022 were 2.33 million and 2.82 million, respectively.

 

This trend calls for better school planning, teacher training, and recruitment at the state level.

 

DoSEL is also looking to increase the penetration of open schools at the secondary and higher secondary levels and is asking states to consider streamlining the system by merging separate Class 10 and Class 12 boards into a single board structure.

 

Although the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) currently has low penetration in many states, ministry data shows that it also recorded low pass percentages in 2024—54 per cent and 57 per cent for Classes 10 and 12, respectively.

 

“The department is seeking to expand NIOS to other states on the lines of Delhi, Rajasthan, and Haryana, where there are lower failure rates,” stated a department presentation seen by Business Standard.

 

NIOS also plays a crucial role in helping unsuccessful students complete their higher secondary education.

 

Ministry data shows that in 2024, around 2.66 million regular Class 10 students did not reach Class 11. Of these, 443,000 did not appear for exams and 2.21 million failed. Similarly, 2.47 million students of Class 12 could not complete their education for the same reasons.

 

Another official said that both NIOS and state governments are being asked to establish more open schools to give such students an opportunity to complete at least their higher secondary education.