The Parents Association of Andhra Pradesh (PAAP) has raised concerns over printing errors in the Intermediate second-year English examination paper, which caused confusion among students in several centres across the state.
The association has written a letter to Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Nara Lokesh, urging immediate corrective measures.
PAAP State President Narahari Sikharam told The New Indian Express that two questions 8 and 13 for 5 Marks each were not printed properly, creating difficulties for students.
The issue was noticed 25 minutes into the exam, after which examiners resorted to writing the missing questions on the board or dictating them aloud. This led to disturbances in the examination halls, affecting students who were attempting to write their papers in a focused environment.
The Parents Association has demanded that the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) investigate the issue and hold accountable those responsible for the errors in paper preparation.
They also called for extra marks to be awarded for the faulty questions rather than extending the exam duration, arguing that students should not suffer due to mistakes made by the examination authorities.
"We urge Minister Nara Lokesh to take immediate action to prevent such mistakes in the future and ensure that students can write their exams in a stress-free environment," the association stated in their letter.
Meanwhile, the authorities refuted allegations that students lost 25 minutes of exam time. Speaking to The New Indian Express, VV Subba Rao, Controller of Intermediate Examinations, clarified that no one, including himself, has access to the question paper before it is distributed to students at 9.00 am on the day of examination.
He explained that a four-member subject expert team reviews the question paper in a secured, confidential room in his presence after distributing the question paper to the students.
If any errors are found, instructions for corrections are immediately sent to all exam centers to prevent confusion. Rao assured that no time was wasted during this process, as only a few words were unclear in two questions, stated the report by The New Indian Express.
The missing words were promptly written on the board to ensure clarity for students.
