The Intermediate practical examinations will commence from Thursday in 2,573 centres across the state. They will be conducted amidst a slew of stringent measures introduced by the Board of Intermediate Education to rein in malpractices.
As many as 5.93 lakh students will appear for the exams, which will be held till February 23 in two sessions daily, from 9 am to 12 noon and 2 pm to 5 pm.
The examiners have been asked to randomly video graph the practicals performed by the students.
Lecturers working in a particular college will not be allowed to enter the premises of their own colleges during the practical exams.
They will be appointed as examiners in other colleges.
If 25 per cent of the students of any college secure 100 per cent marks in practicals, the board will re-verify the practical exam answer scripts and take stringent action against the examiners if any malpractice has been detected. The board will even re-verify the answer scripts of those students who secure marks in the higher range -27 to 30 marks out of a total of 30 marks.
“A high-powered committee was constituted in each district,” said Mr G. Balaramaiah, secretary, BIE.
The practical exams have been mired in controversy for the last several years, with complaints about some private and corporate colleges “managing” the examiners to award 100 per cent marks to the majority of their students. This malpractice is taking place since the practical exams are being held in their own colleges, unlike the theory exams, where the centres are being allotted in other colleges under the “jumbling system.”
Though the board had announced earlier that it would extend `jumbling’ to practical exams this year, it later backtracked, on the directions of the government.
To counteract this, the Board has come out with stringent measures to check malpractices in the existing system.