Facing an increase of more than one lakh regular candidates, the pass percentage in Madhyamik Examination 2008 slumped to 72.46 per cent.

The pass percentage of regular candidates was 74.57 per cent in 2007.

A record number of 7,46,964 examinees appeared for the examination this year.

According to the board officials, the increase has been attributed to students who are mostly first generation learners and belong to backward classes.

“It is an usual phenomenon, when the number of candidates increases, the pass percentage dips,” said Mamata Roy, the president of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.

“In spite of the decrease in the pass percentage of regular candidates, the overall pass percentage of regular, continuing and external candidates is 69.56 per cent as compared to 68.99 per cent last year,” she added.

Other parameters of the results, however, indicate an improved academic performance this year.

The percentage of first division candidates has increased from last year’s 22.79 per cent to 23.71 per cent and the number of second division candidates has gone down to 31.42 per cent from 38.15 per cent last year.

East Midnapore recorded the maximum pass percentage with 80.45 per cent. The lowest pass percentage was recorded in Jalpaiguri at 52.14 per cent.

According to the board officials, the districts of Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, Purulia, Bankura, Burdwan and Murshidabad recorded an improved performance, whereas students have not fared well in South 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Nadia, Malda, South Dinajpur and North 24 Parganas.

Overall, boys have put up a better pass percentage than girls, but in Kolkata the pass percentage of girls’ is 77.37 per cent and boys’ is 76.8 per cent.

Of the regular candidates who appeared for the exam, 53 per cent of the students were boys and 47 per cent were girls.