Congress demands judicial probe into inter exams goof up

• Sravan calls Minister Jagadish Reddy ‘Munnabhai MBBS’, want him sacked
• Congress demands Help Centres in all districts to help victims
• AICC demands ex-gratia for families of inter students who committed suicide

Hyderabad/New Delhi, April 22 (Maxim News): The Congress party on Monday demanded judicial probe through a sitting judge of High Court into the irregularities committed by the officials of Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) and Globarena Technologies in the intermediate results.

Addressing a press conference at All India Congress Committee (AICC) Headquarters in New Delhi, AICC Spokesperson Dr. Sravan Dasoju said that the blunders committed by the TSBIE in exam results have caused serious agony to thousands and students and their parents. Therefore, he said that the State Government should immediately suspend the TSBIE officials including its Secretary Dr. Ashok and others for their callous and allegedly corrupt practices. Calling Education Minister Jagadish Reddy ‘Munnabhai MBBS’, he asked Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao to sack him from the cabinet.

Sravan blamed the incompetency and also the corrupt and callous administration of TSBIE authorities which led to most unwanted manipulations in the intermediate results which subjected thousands of meritorious students to gross injustice and immense mental agony as their career got jeopardised. “Not only the students, but their parents and entire family members are in deep distress. Nearly 25 students are reported to have committed suicides due to the faulty results published by the TSBIE. Now who should be held responsible for those deaths?” he asked while demanding that needy families be paid an ex-gratia of Rs. 25 lakh each.

The Congress leader strongly condemned the attitude of TSBIE authorities who refused to address the grievances of thousands of parents and students and instead advised them to apply for recounting or revaluation by paying per subject Rs 100 and Rs 600 respectively. He described it as an attempt to cover up their mismanagement and corrupt manipulation and demanded that the State Government instruct TSBIE to take up recounting and re-evaluation at free of cost.

Sravan said it was only after thousands of students and parents created uproar against the injustice that the concerned minister woke up from slumber. Instead of resigning from his post owing moral responsibility, he announced constitution of a committee to hush up the issue. He demanded that the Chief Minister dismiss Jagadish Reddy from his cabinet immediately. However, he said that the present government was more interested in promoting defection politics than delivering good governance.

“Norms flouted in awarding contract to Globarina Technologies”

The AICC Spokesperson pointed out that the irregularities were not incidental, but a result of gross violation of multiple norms and other manipulations. He said up to the academic year 2017-18, the TSBIE used to divide the examination work in two parts. While the Data Processing (Admissions, NR Generation, Centre allotment, etc.,) used to be handled by Centre for Good Governance (CGG), the Result Processing was carried out by experienced and expert private agencies.

However, the TSBIE took a decision that both parts should be combined and be done by a single agency and hence floated a consolidated tender Vide Reference No.23/EDP/2017-18, dated 25.09.2017 to take up Design, Development maintenance of Web based Application that is suitable for TSBIE business process (admissions, pre-examination, post examination and results processing) including OMR Scanning from the Academic year 2018-2019. As per the technical eligibility and financial suitability, the Globarina Technologies Private Limited, Hyderabad has been given order for the above said work. “As per the TOR of Tender document floated by the TSBIE (Item.No.3, -Pre-qualification criteria) there are 11 mandatory eligibility criterions, and out of which, the 6th and 7th Criteria’s are as follows: 6th Criteria: Should have executed technology based examination solution for a single Board/ Government University with a single purchase order with 3 lakhs enrolled students per year during any of the last 5 academic years and 7th Criteria: Should have executed technology based examination solutions for a minimum of 5 Government Universities/ Government Boards, one must be from any State Intermediate Board from India.

“As per the 6th condition, the company/agency/firm for minimum 3 lakhs students per year during any of the last 5 academic years. But as per the performance certificate, issued by the JNTU, Kakinada dated 08.09.2014 to the Globarena Technologies Private Limited, and clearly mentioned that nearly 270 Colleges are affiliated to the University and only 2.5 lakhs students are on their roll. Even though the said firm i.e., the Globarina Technologies was never involved in pre and post examination work, The firm has only taken up the online evaluation of Answer Scripts of JNTU only for the academic year 2013-2014. Further, it is very important to note that, the same work has been undertaken with its consortium partners M/s. DRS, U.K. and M/S. Magnetic Infotech Private Limited, Hyderabad,” he pointed out.

Further, as per the Criteria No.7, the firm should have executed technology based examination solutions for a minimum of 5 Government Universities/ Government Boards and one must be from any State Intermediate Board from India. But, as per the experience certificates produced by the Globarina Technologies, the firm has never worked for any Intermediate Board all over the country, but the firm has worked for only miniscule task of online revaluation of answer scripts consisting only 20,000 students for the TSBIE. On producing of the same certificate of TSBIE, the firm is alleged to have been selected. Whereas as per the present contract, the tasks assigned by the TSBIE are of much more wide range and significantly complex in nature, he said.

Sravan said despite Globarina Technologies not fulfilling the Criteria No.6 & No. 7 of the tender, the TSBIE authorities have awarded it the contract. “While the contract was given to the Globarena Technologies to implement end-to-end program for the academic year 2018-2019, the Globarena Technologies is mandated to undertake pilot project of implementing the end-to-end program even for the academic year 2017-2018 that were published in March 2018 and May 2018,” he said.

As per the TOR of the tender, If the results processed by the Globarena Technologies during the pilot phase match with the final results that were prepared by the then responsible company; only then the Globarena Technologies should have been given the order to start his work for the academic year 2018-2019. Unfortunately, the TSBIE authorities seems to have allowed skipping the pilot phase implementation by the Globarena Technologies, he said.

Further, as per the TOR of Tender, the Globarena Technologies is supposed to have submitted a complete software application design and implementation architecture with a clearly defined time bound programme. However, It is said that the Globarena Technologies has not submitted any Design, Development maintenance of Web based Application that is suitable for TSBIE business process (admissions, pre-examination, post examination and results processing) including OMR scanning and hence, you may find that there is no security audit conducted by CERT Agencies and not published in NIC (National Information Centre) Servers. Without any application design submission, the Globarena Technologies was permitted by TSBIE to start work for the academic year 2018-2019 to capture students DATA from the affiliated Colleges from 1st of June 2018. However, the Globarena Technologies was not able to capture the DATA up to 15th July 2018.

Subsequently, the TSBIE has taken a decision to assign the work to Centre for Good Governance and accordingly the CGG has completed the task. On 17th September, the TSBIE has announced the Fee dates for 1st year and 2nd year regular and Private students and announced that last date for payment of fee from the respective colleges was 24.10.2018, while the Globarena Technologies totally failed to launch its Gateway till 16.10.2018. “Due to the delayed and faulty Gateway implemented by the Globarena Technologies, it appears that the principals of colleges seem to have encountered many problems and delayed in making the data entry,” Sravan said.

After recognising that there is big goof up by the Globarena Technologies, the TSBIE has extended the Fee date from 24.10.2018 to 31.10.2018 and further extended to 06.11.2018 and issued instructions to the officers concerned for reconciliation of Fee particulars with respective Colleges and permitted to pay the examination fee up to 06.11.2018. On the whole, the TSBIE, playing with the lives of students, callously conducted intermediate exams with faulty data and faulty application and as result so many mistakes have cropped up, he alleged.

“We have serious suspicion on the way the Globarena Technologies is allowed to flout all the tender norms by Dr A Ashok. All these need to be thoroughly enquired and culprits should be seriously punished,” he said.

Further, Sravan alleged that many answer scripts were misplaced and so far, no action has been taken in this regard. He also alleged that many question papers were leaked. Sometimes even all three Sets (A, B & C) were leaked and widely circulated in social media. No one complained, as those papers were initially perceived to be fake. But later, it was reported that the question papers were in fact leaked, he said.

“Intermediate exams were held from February 28 to March 18, 2019. But results were declared only after 30 days i.e., on April 18 even though the answer sheets were evaluated in just 10 days as against the general practice of completing the same in 20 days. Only TSBIE knows why examiners were burdened with 60 papers per day as against the standard of giving 30 papers per day. Earlier, results used to be declared in maximum 2-3 weeks of time,” he said adding that no efforts were made to clarify on dates for declaration of results until situation turned worse and this delay created chaos among students and parents.

The Congress leader also pointed out the TSBIE committed huge mistakes in the correction of papers. Attendees were shown as absentees and merit students who got 90% percent above were shown as failed in one or two subjects. “For many students, the marksheets said they didn’t appear for exam, but passed. Similarly, many students received marksheets with wrong combination of subjects. In one of the cases, an MPC student has economics and commerce printed on the marksheet. Likewise, there are thousands of cases across Telangana,” he said.

Sravan said that the grading system was introduced for the Intermediate Public Examinations (IPE) from 2017-18. The decision was prompted by the practice of corporate and private junior colleges putting pressure on students to perform, thereby driving several students to suicide. However, the present results given by TSBIE show both marks secured by students in each subject disregarding their own rule of grading system. This is allowing Private colleges to use these numbers to announce Top Rankers and thus increasing the pressure on students, he said.

The AICC Spokesperson said that the intermediate marks would have 25% weightage in determining EAMCET ranks and as such intermediate is the most crucial turning point of one’s career. Therefore, he sought an assurance directly from the Chief Minister that the justice would be done to the students and their career would be protected.

Sravan also demanded that the State Government immediately set up Help Centers in every District Collectorate and RDO offices so that students and parents could report their issues rather than all of them coming to TSBIE office in Hyderabad. He said necessary infrastructure should be provided at the TSBIE evaluation centres and it should be ensured that proper standards are followed in terms of number of papers given per day to the examiners. (Maxim News)