BIE on the back foot over Intermediate I year results

Conduct of exams criticised with a record number of students failing this year

After record number of failures in the first year Inter exams this year, the government fears a repeat of students’ suicides, going by the outrage generated and three students already ending lives allegedly after failing in the first year exams.

Only 49% students cleared the exams and this is the lowest ever since the formation of TS. The results also showed that there was no leniency in the valuation of the answer scripts going by the steep fall in the pass percentage.

These students who entered college life for the first time had to come to terms with the examinations conducted in unusual circumstances – first taking the exam without attending a single class and later attempting a very different exam from what they had given earlier in 10th class.

The conduct of exams itself was a controversy as the students had not attended a single class of first year and there was no assessment of their learning capabilities after they were forced to take online classes only due to the pandemic. But officials argued that the exams were necessary as the marks would be the base for final results in case the second year exams are not conducted due to unforeseen situation in the pandemic.

However, there is a blind belief among the officials that online classes had indeed succeeded, but the results in the government colleges where the pass percentage is said to be astonishingly less showcase how the students failed to come to terms with technology teaching. The students who are now in second year were asked to take the exams in the normal mode and many believed the valuation wouldn’t be strict given predicament of the students.

Sources in the BIE say out of the 2.35 lakh students who failed, at least 1.75 lakh are from the government colleges and some government colleges have registered less than 10% passes. The BIE has also not officially released the data of the government colleges this year unlike the previous years, fearing protests from parents and students.

The biggest disadvantage these students face is that there is no second chance for them now and to go relatively stress-free to face the second year exams in April next year. BIE secretary Omer Jaleel said all those who failed have to write the backlogs along with second year exams. This would be adding to the already stressed students, say the parents of those who failed.

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