Hyderabad: Nine percent scripts of around 87,000 BSc scripts (regular and backlog) kept in the coding room for coding purpose were damaged while the remaining scripts were also partially damaged, found the committee that probed into the fire mishap at the Osmania University on June 5.
The committee has recommended holding the BSc examination in certain selected subjects in the last week of June 2018. Students need not pay any exam fee and can take the exams in the same centres with the same hall tickets issued earlier.
Further, it suggested an overhaul of the infrastructure, security and safety measures at the spot valuation centre to pre empt any such accidents in future.
The committee report released by the varsity on Tuesday reads, “The coding room housed the BSc scripts of the affiliated and constituent colleges belonging to the second (regular and backlog), fourth semester (regular), first and third semesters (only backlogs). Specifically, the room had Zoology and Mathematics papers of first and third semester (backlog), Zoology, Botany, Physics and Mathematics of second and fourth semester (backlog and regular), and Zoology, Botany, Physics and Mathematics (regular) exams of the fourth semester.”
In order to help students to maintain continuity in their academics, the committee recommended that the exams should be re conducted in the Science subjects mentioned above.
All students, except those booked for malpractices, have to reappear for the semester exams as per the revised time-table that would be circulated shortly to the colleges and will also be displayed on the University website.
Vice-Chancellor professor S. Ramachandram said, “The university regrets the inconvenience caused to students and appeals to them not to believe rumours by vested interests. The university reiterates that it will take all the necessary steps to ensure that students’ interests are protected and they are not put to any hardships while reappearing for the exams.”
He added, “The varsity has a record of conducting exams each year for over 1,000 subjects involving 16 lakh students. The process involves confidential work of coding, evaluation, tabulation. The university is also planning to switch over to online evaluation in a phased manner.” The fire broke out in the early hours on June 5 in a coding room but a major flare-up was averted due to the efforts of the local staff and the fire officials who sprayed water and broke the ceiling to let out the fumes and smoke.
