NHRC notice to the government of Telangana over reported goof up in the Intermediate results leading to failure of about 3 lakh students and suicides by 18 amidst mass protests (26.04.2019)

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that 18 students have committed suicide since March 2019 who have reportedly failed in the intermediate examinations, conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE as large-scale discrepancies have triggered furore in the State. Reportedly, about 3 lakh students have failed in the exams and the students and parents are staging protests.

The Commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana calling for a detailed report in the matter within 4 weeks, including action taken against the guilty and relief, if any, provided to the aggrieved families.

It has observed that the contents of the news reports, if true, raise the issues of serious lapse on the part of the authorities amounting to violation of human rights. Thorough probe into the matter is required not only to punish the guilty but to ensure that such sorrowful incidents do not recur in future.

According to the media reports, hundreds of students have failed to get even pass marks. The State Education Ministry, the Board and the government initially dismissed the allegations but later gave in to the growing protests. The aggrieved students have also approached the High Court.

Reportedly, role of a private company has come to the notice who has been given the contract for processing the results. This work was being done earlier by the “Centre for Good Governance” which is a government agency. The Hyderabad-based private firm Globarena Technologies, who has executed the work, is reportedly not competent enough to take up the job. The firm has however contended that it is capable of handling the task and that it had executed the contract, systematically.

As mentioned in the news report, around 10 lakh students took the class 12 exam in February 2018 and nearly 3.5 have failed making it a gigantic task for the board to conduct supplementary exams for such a large number of students. The time is also running out for the students who have to appear in the entrance exams like in EAMCET, NEET and JEE etc.

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