A record number of students may have passed in this year’s HSC exam, but that does not, unfortunately, mean that they have studied better, or know more, than their predecessors.

Smiles all around:  Students check their HSC results at a cafe in Kasba Peth yesterday Pic/Mohan Patil

Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) officials have admitted to mid-day that the new syllabus and, more importantly, the newly introduced 80-20 system for the Arts and Commerce streams, have played a big role in this year’s overall 90.03 pass percentage.