As Student Suicide Toll Over Botched Telangana Board Exam Results Mounts To 19, KCR Govt Struggles To Contain Fallout
The agitation by students, parents and activists in Telangana against the bungling of Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) results continues unabated with reports that two more youngsters have committed suicide fuelling further anger, Times of India reported.
At least 19 students have committed suicide in Telangana in the past one week over their failure in the Intermediate examinations. The spate of suicides has been attributed to a botch up by the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) in declaration of results.
A day after the Intermediate examination results were declared, thousands of students alleged that there were irregularities in paper evaluation.
While few students said they were marked absent though they took the exams, few others, who had consistent academic performance including securing top marks in the Intermediate first year, found to their dismay that they have failed in the second year.
An estimated 9.74 lakh students appeared for the Intermediate examination out of which 3.28 lakh failed.
A private firm, Globarena Technologies Private Ltd, which has been given the contract of conducting the exams and processing the results, has been dragged in to the controversy with several students and opposition parties even staging agitation outside its office premise.
The company however denied any responsibility for the bungling and claimed that the problem lied with the evaluation process, and not with the tech behind publishing the results.
A division bench of Telangana High Court on Tuesday (23 April) directed the state government to clarify by Monday (29 April) over how many days the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) would require to re-evaluate the answer sheets of three lakh students, who failed in the recently-held Inter examinations.
The court come down heavily on the state government and described the bungling as grave as 9/11 and the tsunami.
In a belated step that is likely to provide some solace to thousands of distraught students who appeared for the intermediate exams in Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) on Wednesday (24 April) ordered free re-verification and answer sheet recounting of all the students who failed in this year’s Intermediate examinations, Telangana Today reported.
In case of the students who have passed the examination but still want recounting or re-evaluation, they would have to pay the required fee as per prevailing rules and regulations.
KCR added that the re-evaluation process would be expedited and completed as soon as possible.
In light of the fact that the students will be appearing for NEET and JEE exams, the advanced supplementary examinations should be conducted at the earliest and their result declaration too will be expedited.
Education Secretary B Janardhan Reddy has been given the responsibility to ensure the same.
KCR also appealed to the students not to commit suicides for failing in examinations. Expressing shock and dismay at the student suicide, Chandrashekhar Rao appealed to every student “not to take any extreme step or attempt to take their lives.”
Chandrashekhar Raosaid he was “extremely pained and saddened by some students taking their lives because of failure. It is extremely unfortunate and highly saddening to note that a few students who failed in the Intermediate examination committed suicide”.
“I felt extremely unhappy and deeply saddened over these incidents. Intermediate education is not the entire life. Failing in an examination does not amount to failing in life. Life is precious. There will always be plenty of opportunities to succeed. Each individual should make use of opportunities based on interest and capabilities and identify a profession of their liking in which they can make their mark,” he said.
“Students should be courageous. They should stand up in life. If you commit suicide, you will leave behind a lot of sorrow for your parents. I appeal to every student not to take any extreme step or attempt to take their lives,” KCR said.