HYDERABAD: Intermediate first-year students, who have been down in the dumps after the depressing results, may soon hear some good news. The state government is examining some options, including giving grace marks to the students, who failed in the examinations due to the learning loss following the pandemic.
According to sources, officials of the Intermediate Board submitted various options to the government, so that students can focus on the second year. The options included giving grace marks, reducing the minimum pass marks among others. “Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is seized of the matter. The government may take a favourable decision shortly,” a key functionary in the government told Express on Tuesday.
It may be recalled here that only 49 per cent of students were declared passed in the Intermediate First Year results. Due to the Covid pandemic, 51 per cent of students, a whopping 2.35 lakh, failed in the first year Intermediate examination. With this, several students were depressed and there have been some suicides as well. Students unions have been staging protests on the matter. In the current scenario, the only option before the government is to pass the agitating students. Some officials have opined that conducting supplementary examinations may not be the best idea since another wave of Covid-19 looms ahead.
Recruitment of professors
Meanwhile, authorities also submitted a report to the Chief Minister on the recruitment of 1,062 professors in various universities, which has been pending for the last four years. Though the government permitted universities to fill up these posts in 2017, Vice-Chancellors of respective universities have not taken any proactive measures. New VCs too could not take any decision on filling the posts, as there are some legal problems.
A majority of cases were filed in HC with regard to the recruitment of professors of Kakatiya University some 10 years ago. “We are examining whether we can appeal to the HC to clear them immediately. This way, recruitment for 1,062 posts can be taken up without any legal hurdles,” said a source.
Protests, rallies reflect public mood
Students' unions have been staging protests against the state government saying it is unacceptable that 51 per cent of students had been failed in the Intermediate First Year exam. They have always expressed their outrage over the silence of the Education Minister on such a grave matter. In the current scenario, the only option before the government is to pass the agitating students. Some officials have opined that conducting supplementary examinations may not be the best idea since another wave of Covid-19 looms ahead.