The pass rate for all of Tonga's senior students sitting major examinations in 2005 has remained the same as the previous year, but the results announced last week showed that while independent schools' results have improved, the government schools' pass rates have dropped.

Over half of the 1,080 Form 6 high school students who sat the 2005 regional Pacific Senior Secondary Examination (PSSC) have passed, while less than half of the 1,830 Form 5 high school students who sat Tonga School Certificate examination (TSC) passed, Tu...’ifua Petelo a Senior Education officer at the Tonga Ministry of Education said today.

Tu‘ifua said that Tonga's 55 percent pass rate in the regional PSSC examination was the same as last year. The Form 5 level passes in TSC also remained steady compared to the previous year.

She said what was now evident from the results of both regional PSSC and the national TSC examinations was a slight decrease in the number of passers from government high schools in contrast to the results for the church high schools, who in this year...’s passes have greatly improved compared to previous years.

Tu'ifua, who obviously was being kind to her colleagues, could not say whether the decrease in the pass rate of government school students was a direct result of the national strike held last year, but it could be the result of many other things. She said that her observation of the overall passes for both examinations was that although church schools passes had improved, Tonga High School still maintained the number one spot of passers.

The annual PSSC and TSC examinations are compulsory for Form 6 and Form 5 high school students to sit in order to be accepted to the next year's level in high school But in order for a Form 5 student to enter Form 6, or for a Form 6 student to enter the Form 7 they must pass the English subject with a grade not exceeding grade 5, in addition with grades from three other subjects so as to add up to the overall accurate grade of 17 or less.

The top accurate grade that a pupil can get is 4, which means that he or she has grade 1 passes in all four subjects.

Pupils from 31high schools throughout Tonga sat the examinations and the exam results were announced last week.