HYDERABAD: For many Intermediate students, practicals are the exams that pose the least problems.
Lecturers and college managements also do not take them too seriously. But suddenly they gained prominence, thanks to the initiative to give 25 per cent weightage to Inter marks in final Eamcet ranks. Now everybody from students to teachers, parents and college managements are chanting the `practical’ mantra.
From Eamcet-2009, the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE) has decided to implement 25 per cent weightage for the total marks scored in relevant group subjects of Intermediate to determine the final rank.
Students pursuing the MPC (mathematics, physics and chemistry) stream stand to gain 15 marks from their practical examinations, while those in the BiPC (biology, physics and chemistry) stream can get 30 marks.
“Unlike theory exams, practicals give scope for scoring full marks providing a good opportunity for students to improve their final ranks,” said a senior official of the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE). However, the joy of students and parents over the weightage move is laced with a bit of suspicion too.
They fear that private colleges, especially the corporate ones, might manipulate the practical results to gain undue advantage for their students.
“Unlike theory examinations, which students write in a college different from theirs, practicals are conducted in their college itself giving scope for foul play. There were instances when corporate colleges managed invigilators and got the maximum marks for their students,” said P Srinivasa Rao, a parent from Karimnagar.
Another parent Y Krishna Kumari also suspected that the new pattern of ranking would benefit students of corporate colleges at the expense of those studying in government or rural colleges. “Many government colleges as well as private ones in rural areas do not have wellequipped laboratories and this may affect the marks of students,” she said.
Official assurance
However, the officials are assuring that the move was only to give due importance to Intermediate examinations. The initiative was aimed at improving the analytical and writing skills of students, said KC Reddy. “We received complaints from various sections that students and colleges were concentrating only on Eamcet and ignoring the Intermediate examinations.
Giving weightage to Intermediate marks will strengthen the Inter education,” he added.
Tough measures
Meanwhile, the Board of Intermediate Education has also decided to act tough to prevent any sort of foul play in practical examinations this year.
If 25 per cent of candidates at a particular centre secured 100 per cent marks, the board would verify the result and take appropriate action if anything fishy was found, the officials said.
Further, the answer-sheets of all those who secured more than 27 marks out of the maximum 30 would also be re-checked.
“Flying squads with additional sitting squads at every centre will monitor the practical examinations,” said a senior BIE official.
dileep@epmltd.com