ADILABAD: For about 400 students from Adilabad district, Saturday was a hell of a night. The students, some of them the poorest of the poor, were on their way in a train to Hyderabad to take the Osmania University PG entrance examinations when, in the middle of the night, they were informed that the examination had been put off.
The students were scheduled to take the examination for admissions to three courses — MSc, Chemistry, MSc, Botany and MA, Political Science, on Sunday. At about 11.30 pm, they received a message that the examinations were postponed because of Ganesh nimajjan in Hyderabad. Some students immediately got off the train at Kinwat, some others got off in Basara, and a few others reached Hyderabad nonetheless and took a return bus in the morning.
Adilabad students bear brunt of sudden exam deferral
Many students travelling from Adilabad to the city to write Osmania University’s PG entrance exams scheduled on Sunday, which were postponed, had to suffer owing to the uncertainties involved and the lack of buses in the night.
The plight of two girl students, who got off at Basara at about 12 midnight, was especially bad. Accompanied by the uncle of one of them, they could not get any accommodation anywhere. There was also no train or bus going homewards in the night and it was only after daybreak that they got a bus back home.
Students who got down at Kinwat got into another train for Hyderabad after they were told that information of the examinations getting postponed was not official. After reaching Hyderabad on Sunday morning, they came to know that the examinations were indeed postponed, leaving them seething with anger as they returned home.
One of the students who boarded a bus for Hyderabad at Adilabad, K Vishnu, said, “When we reached Nirmal, we got the message that the examinations had been put off. We could have got down at Nirmal, but as there was no guarantee of getting a bus back home immediately, we nonetheless travelled up to Hyderabad and took a bus back home in the morning. Each one of us has unnecessarily spent `1,500 on the trip. It was a waste of money.”
Students’ union joint action committee (JAC) secretary B Rahul said that most of those who had travelled to Hyderabad and back were from poor families. He said the university authorities should pay them travel allowance when the students travel to Hyderabad again to write the exams on the rescheduled date.
Pay travel allowance to students: JAC secy
Students’ union JAC secretary B Rahul said that most of those who had travelled to Hyderabad and back were from poor families. He said the university authorities should pay them travel allowance the next time