Students decry callous attitude of colleges and Intermediate Board

Hyderabad: Just a couple of days ahead of commencement of intermediate exams, students who are supposed to be busy with books were seen running from pillar to post for hall-tickets on Saturday. Several inter students along with their parents thronged the Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) as they were yet to receive their hall-tickets. They lamented that though they have paid examination fee in their respected colleges, they were denied hall-tickets from the institutions.

Shaik Khadeer Bee, an intermediate student from a corporate college in Tarnaka, who topped MEC stream by securing 490 marks, said while rest of her friends were preparing for the exams, she had to do rounds for her hall-ticket for the past several days. “I was offered free education as I topped in the intermediate first year. Though I had paid examination fee to the college administration, the college did not forward the application to the Board. I am not getting enough time to prepare for exams as I am doing rounds to get my hall-ticket,” she said.

Students also lamented that Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education was considering last minute fee payments from the students, however not TSBIE.  Another student of a private college in SR Nagar, Sneha, has to go through similar ordeal. “We are ready to pay Rs 10,000 under tatkal scheme to obtain the hall-ticket. But officials of BIE are not ready to accept,” she added. Gyaneshwar, a parent, held that despite their repeated visits to the Board, officials could not resolve the issue. “All efforts to reach Controller of Examination went in vain,” he said.

While some students’ were denied hall tickets, a few others who received hall-tickets had mistakes in it. P Venkat Ramana, intermediate first year student, said subjects in his hall ticket were mismatching. “Instead of Sanskrit as the first language, the hall-ticket has Telugu. My college principal asked me to approach the Board for correction. When I came here, officials made me do rounds from floor to floor, but issue was not resolved,” he wailed. Meanwhile, the Board has made arrangements for conducting intermediate first and second year examinations from March 9 and March 10, respectively.

As many as 4,66,448 students of first year and 5,06,789 students of second year will appear for the examinations. The Board has arranged 1,251 examination centres in 10 districts of the State. Of the total, 502 centres are in government colleges and 749 in private unaided colleges.The examinations would be supervised by regional joint directors, district vocational officials and BIE officials. Shortage of question papers Meanwhile, the shortage of question papers for intermediate vocational courses is likely to hit the students hard.

According to TSBIE sources, there would be a shortage of 10-20 question papers for each test centre in 10 districts of the State. They said a miscalculation and lack of proper co-ordination among the Board officials has resulted in the shortage of question papers. This year, more than 60,000 students will be taking examinations in vocational stream starting from March 9. An official of BIE said shortfall of question paper was a routine phenomenon every year.

However this year, the Board noticed too late. Telangana Government Junior Colleges Lecturers’ Association president Dr P Madhusudhan Reddy said the Board was making necessary arrangements in this regard. All efforts to reach TSBIE Secretary Shailaja Ramaiyer proved futile.