ANANTAPUR: The first day of the SSC annual exam in Mancherial was marred by confusion and delays after students at the Mancherial Zilla Parishad Boys High School received Hindi question papers instead of Telugu test papers. The mix-up led to a two-hour delay, pushing the exam’s conclusion to 2.30 pm instead of the scheduled 12.30 pm.
Upon learning about the mix-up, the invigilator immediately informed the higher officials, but the process of retrieving the correct question papers took time, delaying the start of the exam to 11.30 am.
However, the officials maintained that the Hindi paper remained sealed and that the mistake occurred when the chief superintendent and the departmental officer of the school retrieved the papers from the PS storage. The Telugu paper was mistakenly sealed in a trunk box meant for Day-2 exams, they said.
Following the incident, Chief Superintendent Mir Safdar Ali Khan and Department Officer NR Padmja were suspended for negligence.
Mancherial Collector Kumar Deepak told TNIE: “The delay occurred due to an issue in the storeroom. However, necessary arrangements were made to ensure students could complete their exams without further inconvenience.”
Parents allege negligence by officials
Family members of the students, concerned over the delay, arrived at the exam centre to inquire about the situation. They alleged negligence on part of officials, stating that students had reported to the centre at 8 am but had not returned home even by 1 pm.
Upon learning about the incident, Mancherial District Collector Kumar Deepak visited the school to assess the situation. He confirmed that out of the 49 exam centres in the district, this was the only centre affected by the mix-up. A total of 9,410 students are appearing for the exam across the district, with 240 students at this particular centre.
To compensate for the lost time, the exam was conducted peacefully from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm, with snacks and drinking water provided to students.