Hyderabad: Students protest Inter evaluation

Hyderabad: Discrepancies in the evaluation of Intermediate exam answer papers, improper entry of marks and administrative lapses have left students paranoid for they can no longer be sure whether or their marksheets reflect the efforts put in by them.

Over 1,000 students and parents have approached the Board of Intermediate Education because extremes were noted in the allotment of marks.

Parents and students gathered in Nampally on Saturday to protest the lapse in the evaluation and the anxiety that the parents and students are going through because of it.

Telangana Government Junior Lecturers Association president Dr Madhusudhan Reddy said, “The process of evaluation and allotment has not been up to the mark.

“In the language papers of Sanskrit, Telugu, and English, they have marked many students as either ‘Absent and Pass’ or ‘Absent and Fail’. In physics and mathematics, students who performed well in the first year did poorly in the second year. The problems started in October during the collection of fee, and the student data was not properly tabulated.”

Mr Devender Reddy, the parent of a second-year student, said that his son who was among the toppers in his college in the first year had failed in mathematics in the second year with 18 marks. He said he had heard of similar complaints from other students.

“The result is giving rise to confusion and demotivating the students. We parents are living in constant fear that our children might resort to drastic measures due to the disappointment and therefore we are having to keep a constant watch on them.”

Parents claimed that the helpline numbers that were provided by the board did not function. They complained that the website meant for re-evaluation wasn’t opening for students to submit their applications, the last date for which happens to be April 25.

Another parent, Mr Sambasiva Rao, said, “The fee to obtain a scanned copy of the answer script is `600, and many students who hail from poor families cannot afford it. Proper re-evaluation should be conducted to clarify such doubts.”

The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) has demanded the suspension of Intermediate Board secretary Dr A. Ashok Kumar for the errors.

“Students who didn’t appear for the examination have been passed, while those who actually appeared have been failed. Data input has been carried out very poorly,” he said.

Mr N. Narayana from the Telangana Parents Association (TPA) said, “The pass percentage has dropped this year. We have been complaining about lapses like the lack of faculty and proper infrastructure for a long time but none of our concerns have been addressed. Now, the students’ marksheets are full of errors. All this is a result of administrative inefficiency and lack of supervision by the department.”

Reacting to the criticism, Dr  Ashok Kumar said, “Those who doubt that they have been marked incorrectly can apply for re-evaluation. That’s the best the board can provide.”

BJP state president Dr K. Laxman said, “The comment by the Intermediate Board secretary wherein he said that mass hysteria was causing students to commit suicide is condemnable. We must empathise with the parents and do the needful.”

He added that scanned copies of answer sheets should be provided completely free to those in doubt.