Maharashtra: Kalyani tops HSC exams with 99 per cent

Pune, June 7: Girls scaled new heights by grabbing all the three top spots in the HSC examinations, conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in February-March, results of which were declared today.

Kalyani Bhagwant Joshi of Mahatma Gandhi College from Ahmedpur in Latur Division scored 99 per cent and came first. She was followed by Monika Gajanan Doke from Brijlal Biyani Science College of Amravati who scored 97.50 per cent. Madhura Sanjay Mulmule from Shivaji Science Junior College of Nagpur scored 97.33 per cent and came third. The overall pass percentage in the state was 77.35.

Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education chairman Vijay Sheela Sardesai, while declaring the results, told reporters that the state has recorded a 13 per cent increase in the pass percentage over last year's 64.25.

''Girls have performed better than the boys and it is due to the hard work of the students that the results have improved,'' she said.

Pune Divison has topped among all the eight divisions of the Board, registering a pass percentage of 81.46, followed by Kolhapur division -- 80.83 per cent, Mumbai division -- 80.24 per cent, Nashik division -- 77.60 per cent, Latur division -- 79.99 per cent, Aurangabad division -- 79.54 per cent, Amravati division -- 71.23 per cent and Nagpur Division came last with 67.09 per cent.

This year, a total of 11,38,018 students had registered for the examination, of whom 11,22,186 students appeared and 867,957 students passed.

Ms Sardesai said there had been an increased number of malpractices cases. This year the board has made provisions for allowing students to apply for improvement of marks, for which they have to apply imediately.

UNI