‘Practical’ly no exposure
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‘Practical’ly no exposure. The Board of Intermediate Examination has made elaborate arrangements to conduct practical examinations from February 12.
The Board of Intermediate Examination has made elaborate arrangements to conduct practical examinations from February 12. A total of 3,000 exam centres (laboratories) have been arranged in both government and private colleges across the state for nearly 6.35 Intermediate students, expected to appear for the all important test.
There will be no jumbling of students like last year and students will have to appear for the test at their respective colleges itself.
Lack of laboratory facility in hundreds of colleges proved to be a bane for students. According to an estimate, more than half of those who appear for the exam have practically no exposure to the laboratories at all. Although most of the government colleges do have the laboratories, private and corporate colleges failed to provide such facility.
“The establishment of a lab, especially chemistry and physics lab, is a costly affair. We cannot bear such a huge expenditure. We have to appoint a demonstrator and additional staff also to run the lab which involves additional expenditure” a member of private college management board in Hyderabad explained.
“Most of the colleges share the students in batches. Private colleges come to an understanding through which students will be taken in special buses to the neighbouring college where there is a lab and shown the material- like pippet, burette, calipers etc- to do a practical test. No student will be given a chance to do a practical test. In the exam, the students will mostly copy down the figures of some arranged tests of previous years. This is how the so-called practicals are being done,” Lakshmi Mohan, a faculty at a private college told The Hans India.
Even for these name-sake tests, the private colleges collect huge fee from the students. “A sum of Rs 5,000 per student in corporate colleges and Rs 2,000-3,000 in other smaller private junior colleges is being collected. This money is being used to manage the invigilators who come from outside to conduct the viva,” Srinivas, a member of Junior College Lecturers Association said.
The social unrest in 13 districts has also affected the curriculum dearly. Colleges have not functioned even160 days continuously. This is bound to affect chances of science students in the national level examinations as well as EAMCET, according to authorities. Even now, the APNGO strike casts a shadow on the practicals although the leaders have assured that they would exempt Inter and SSC exams from the strike.
The agitations across the state have taken a toll on the student community, as a result they are left with practically no training.
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