Telangana: Ministers' stamp in choice of exam centres

HYDERABAD: Osmania University, shortly celebrating its centenary celebrations, is making news for all the wrong reasons. Importantly, allegations about irregularities in conducting of exams have been levelled against the joint controller of the academic audit cell. The official, B. Narayana, has alleged that pressure is being exerted right from ministers’ level for allotment of centres for a few colleges, and mass copying is allowed in such colleges, where the managements were collecting huge amounts from failed students.

In a sting operation by news channels, some ma-nagements were seen collecting Rs 5,000 per paper from students so that th-ey could mass-copy and clear the exams, Narayana said, adding that pressure was exerted on him by political leaders to allot exam centres to a few colleges. This issue has been brought to the notice of the higher officials, but nothing was being done to stem the rot, he said.

The joint director was reacting to a protest by unemployed JAC in the OU campus on Tuesday citing irregularities in the conduct of exams. J. Kalyan of Unemployed JAC, an activists group, stated that they have filed an RTI against the supplementary exams held in December 2016, citing irregularities. “We had a suspicion over allotment of exam centres to a few private degree colleges. Hence we filed an RTI appeal. It was revealed that the centres were allotted to extended premises of few colleges against rules. The joint director is resorting to corruption in allotment of centres, appointment of exam observers, and hiring of private vehicles during exams,” he said.