Telangana Teachers unions differ over conduct of SSC exams

Hyderabad: Is it necessary to hold Class X examinations during the current crisis?

According to Progressive Recognised Teachers' Union-Telangana State (PRTUTS), State president P Sripal Reddy, said, "There is nothing sacred about the SSC examinations conducted for the Class X students. And, their performance is assessed according to the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) method."

Based on the same CCE, examinations for Class I to IX have been suspended and the students have been promoted, he added. It may be mentioned here that every Class X student goes through a year-long evaluation process like examinations, projects, assignments etc. Also, before the final annual SSC board examination which is called Summative Assessment -II, every Class X students also gives SSA-I.

The marks of SSA-1 and other assessments have already been uploaded to the SAD website. Now, the PRTUTS argues students can be awarded the Grade Point Average (GPA) based on already existing year-long assessment of their performance than troubling about 5.3 lakh students during the current Covid-19 crisis.

Further, it argues the SSA-II GPA is taken as a criterion only by IIT, Basra and not may other competitive examinations. For this, a separate examination can be conducted, it said.

On the practical front, thousands of day scholars might face a transportation problem. Also, their thousands more studying in model schools, residential schools, KGBVs, Gurukul and Ashram schools, as well as about 500 minority and other residential school students. Hostels of these schools need to be reopened.

Adding to this, there tens and thousands of hostel boarders studying in private corporate schools. Hundreds of them have to come back from within Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh, border districts of Karnataka, Maharashtra, few more from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.