Telangana: Inter exams get underway peacefully after 2-yr hiatus

Hyderabad: After a gap of two long years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Intermediate first-year examinations went on peacefully on Friday. Exams were conducted in 1,443 centres across Telangana and no untoward incidents were reported in the city except for one malpractice case which was reported at Nizamabad. 4, 42,546 candidates attended the second language paper-I exam and only 4.7 percent of students were absent.

As per orders from the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) that students will not be allowed in the centres even if there are late by one minute, many were sent back home for being late for the exam.

In that context, the Telangana Parents Association requested the Education department to give a grace period of five minutes for the rest of the exams. Asif Hussain Sohail, president of Telangana Parents Association for Child Rights and Safety said, "One minute rule implemented by the Inter board is not ethical. There are certain issues that students face like bad roads, ill health and distress at home for which they may get late for the exam.

One or two minutes late should not be counted. The State government should understand that after two years exams are been held as per the schedule and there should be a grace period of five minutes from the usual time. They demanded the Education department to conduct re-exam for the students who were sent back home." "Every day might not be the same, today we could reach the centres on time and tomorrow we may not. It takes two hours for my child to reach the centre. Hence the Education department should at least give a grace period of five minutes as our neighboring State Andhra Pradesh is giving a grace period of 10 minutes, said a parent.

Students' opinion

Grace, first-year intermediate student said, "this is my first public examination. I was a little nervous about whether the question paper would be tough or easy.

The first exam we had was second language paper-I which was very easy. I could answer all the questions and hoping very good marks." "I was a bit worried as the Inter board implemented the one-minute rule.

Apart from that my exam went very smoothly as the question paper was easy," said Nandu, another intermediate student.