The Hindu : Chaos marks conduct of EdCET

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 17, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Chaos marks conduct of EdCET

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD JUNE 16. Confusion and chaos marked the Statewide common entrance test for admission to B.Ed (EdCET 2002) held on Sunday as several hundred candidates did not receive their hall tickets in time for the examination.

The authorities could not apparently handle the rush of 2.59 lakh candidates who applied for the entrance test, a big jump from 1.50 lakhs last year. According to the Chairman, A.P. State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), C. Subba Rao, the actual turnout of candidates was less than last year's 96 per cent.

Prof. Subba Rao attributed the confusion partly to the delay in fixing examination centres, numbering as many as 638 spread across 34 cities and towns. As this work could be completed only by June 10, it had its impact on the despatch of hall tickets.

Although the authorities offered to admit candidates into exam halls if they produced proof of payment of examination fee, many did not know where their centres were. Some girls were seen weeping after running from pillar to post to find out their centres.

The worst was expected since the authorities of Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, who were entrusted the task of conducting EdCET, could not despatch about 10,000 hall tickets till yesterday although they are normally sent 10 days prior to any such exam.

Candidates in Anantapur suffered the most since the delay in issue of duplicate hall tickets was capped by late arrival of question papers belonging to the mathematics stream. Police resorted to mild caning of the candidates who were infuriated by the delay.

Admitting that there was delay in despatching hall tickets, APSCHE secretary, V. Jayarami Reddy, said necessary arrangements were made to conduct the test for all eligible candidates. Duplicate hall tickets were issued to every one and the test went off smoothly, barring the delay in Anantapur.

Prof. Reddy promised that the EdCET convener would verify the bona fides of candidates who appeared for the test with duplicate hall tickets while processing the results. Their answer scripts would also be valuated along with candidates who possessed regular hall tickets.

Our Anantapur Staff Reporter writes:

The entrance exam could not commence on time as there was delay in issuance of duplicate hall tickets. When this task was completed after much chaos, the candidates taking the test in mathematics were in for another shock as their question papers had not arrived.

About 1,000 candidates were appearing for the mathematics stream in KSR Government Degree College for Women and SSBN Degree College. The examination, which was to begin at 11 a.m., began only at 3 p.m.

Invigilators and other officials at the examination centres had no convincing answer to the frustrated candidates. There were heated arguments and some angry candidates even damaged furniture and flower pots in the two centres. Finally, the examination for mathematics candidates began at the District Collector's intervention with photocopies of the original question paper which was faxed here. Many candidates demanded that the examination be re-conducted.

Our Staff Reporter from Visakhapatnam adds:

The EdCET convener, B. Bhaskar Rao, attributed the shortage of the mathematics paper in Anantapur to about 600 candidates taking undue advantage of a provision of issuing duplicate hall tickets in case they did not receive them in time. "There was only a slight delay due to this unpredictable happening but everything went off smoothly throughout the State,'' he claimed.

Declining to give the figure of attendance at all centres as he did not yet receive the information, he described as highly exaggerated some reports that 40,000 students had not received hall tickets. Only seven duplicate hall tickets were issued in Vizianagaram, he added.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Chaos marks conduct of EdCET

Naidu launches army of `water soldiers'

`Govt., PW should initiate confidence-building measures'

CPI ridicules Naidu's `ignorance'

"Majority of CM's promises implemented"

Startling revelations in scholarship muddle