Telangana gears up for first-year intermediate exams from Oct 25 even as parents and students remain dour

Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) is gearing up for the intermediate first-year examinations. Students who were promoted to second year without examination last year will take part. The exams will be held from October 25 to November 2. Around 4.59 lakh students have registered for the examinations this year. Officials of TSBIE assured that safety measures will be conformed to on priority. The meeting with GHMC and Panchayat Raj officials will be held soon to ensure that sanitisation works are carried out at examination centres across the state.

Telangana Parents Association (TPA) and students had earlier petitioned the Telangana government to cancel the "unnecessary" exams, and had claimed that the BIE was conducting them just to spend the funds amounting to 64 crores, collected from the students as exam fee. They had also alleged that the exams would cause disruption in the ongoing second year studies and classes.

Nagati Narayana, President, TPA, told Edexlive that they are planning on speaking with the Education Minister of the state, Sabita Indira Reddy in order to convey their demands. "We will take the legal route if required," he warned.

"Thousands of lecturer posts have been lying vacant for years now in government junior colleges. If these exams happen, the first-year students in government college will again be left without any classes because teachers will be caught up with these exams. Internal marks should qualify for first-year marks in light of the issues brought about by the pandemic," Ramakrishna Goud, State Convenor, TS Intermediate Vidya Parirakshana Samithi, had told Edexlive

The Secretary, Board of Intermediate Education, Syed Omer Jaleel said that all the concerned departments will work together and make sure safety precautions and sanitisation is carried out in the premises of examination centres before the examination everyday for safety of the students and the staff. All the staff selected for invigilation are 100 percent vaccinated, he added.

Moreover, he informed that nobody in the exam hall or in premises will be allowed without masks. Students were requested to carry masks while coming to the exam hall. Extra masks, hand sanitiser, liquid soap will be provided to all the centres in addition as precautionary measures. He assured the parents and students that physical distancing at all the centres will be planned to avoid unexpected circumstances. The Secretary has also informed that separate halls will be arranged at all the centers for students who have COVID-19 symptoms. Candidates can avail the facility if necessary. A total of 1771 centres were set for the examination. Students can download hall tickets from October 18.

Edited by Juveria Tabassum

With inputs from ENS