Lokesh-Jagan spat over errors in evaluation of SSC answer sheets

Amaravati, June 1 (IANS) Gross errors in the evaluation of 10th class Public Examination answer scripts in Andhra Pradesh have triggered a bitter war of words between former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Education Minister Nara Lokesh.

While Jagan held Lokesh responsible for the chaos surrounding Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams, the latter hit back at YSR Congress Party president, saying he "failed" in both public and private life.

Launching a bitter attack on the former chief minister, Lokesh said that the present government need no lessons on values from Jagan, who had stolen SSC exam papers during his student days.

Alleging that the education system was damaged during YSRCP rule, Lokesh claimed that the coalition government is trying to rectify it.

The Education Minister, in an open letter, alleged that the previous government brought politics into schools, such as using party colour in uniforms and giving programmes personal names. He also alleged that during the YSRCP rule, students lost access to midday meals and free textbooks while school enrollments dropped.

Earlier, Jagan launched an attack on Lokesh, holding him responsible for the chaos in the evaluation of SSC answer sheets.

He accused the Telugu Desam-led coalition of pushing lakhs of students and their families into distress through administrative failure and lack of accountability.

Jagan, in a social media post, told Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that he and his son Lokesh have "failed" to conduct the 10th class exam.

"Over 6.14 lakh students toiled hard for these exams, but the government couldn't even ensure proper evaluation and transparent declaration of results. The mismanagement has eroded students’ trust, with many now raising doubts about the accuracy of their marks,” he said.

The former chief minister pointed out that the ongoing fiasco is already costing students valuable opportunities in IIITs, Gurukula Junior Colleges, and other institutions. He also recalled how the government’s inefficiency was evident from the beginning, with question paper leaks and no corrective steps taken thereafter, exposing its lack of competence.

Jagan accused the TDP regime of systematically dismantling the educational reforms introduced by the previous YSRCP government.

"Be it Nadu-Nedu, Gorumudda, English medium education, TOEFL classes from Class 3, tabs for Class 8 students, or subject-wise teaching, all visionary reforms were halted. The Amma Vodi scheme, which empowered mothers to educate their children, was also cancelled," Jagan noted.

The Directorate of Government Examinations on Saturday suspended five evaluators for gross errors in the evaluation of SSC exam answer scripts.

Out of the total 6,14,459 students who appeared for the examination, 34,709 students applied for re-checking. A total of 66,363 scripts were received for re-checking. Of them, 64,251 were for reverification and 2,112 for recounting.

According to the Directorate, out of corrected cases, 8,863 scripts had minor mark changes between 1 and 5 only, and 3,119 scripts had changes of more than 5 marks.

The Department announced that the applications will be disposed of by the first week of June. Many students who aspire for admissions in the IIITs run by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, state Congress president Y. S. Sharmila has said that arguments between Jagan and Lokesh are like devils reading the scriptures.

"During YSRCP rule, every year 20 per cent of the failed students passed with higher marks in recounting and now under TDP-JSP-BJP rule 11,000 out of 30,000 applicants passed with first-class marks. This clearly shows how much sincerity there is in the evaluation of answer scripts," she said.

Alleging that there is no transparency in the results, she said the education system has been corrupted.

"In fact, it is not the students who have failed. It is the YSRCP and coalition governments that have failed in the state for the last 10 years. They are playing with the lives of students," she said.

Stating that Lokesh failed as the Education Minister, she demanded a thorough probe into the entire episode.

Sharmila also demanded that the re-evaluation of answer sheets be done free of cost.

--IANS

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