Missing SSC answer scripts: Candidates may be scored on internal marks

The School Education Department officials, who also probed the issue, found that the missing bundle contained nine answer scripts of private candidates (those who had failed the exam earlier)

Hyderabad: Candidates, whose SSC Public Examinations 2023 Telugu language answer scripts went missing, are likely to be passed by considering their internal assessment marks.

After conducting the examination on April 3, a bundle containing Telugu answer scripts went missing while being shifted from a post office to a bus stand in Utnoor mandal of Adilabad district.

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Following the incident, the local police registered a case and began an investigation. However, the answer scripts could not be traced.

The School Education Department officials, who also probed the issue, found that the missing bundle contained nine answer scripts of private candidates (those who had failed the exam earlier).

As the answer scripts could not be traced, the department explored three options — granting marks based on internal assessments, awarding minimum qualifying marks or re-conducting the exam. However, officials hinted at the possibility of passing the candidates by considering their internal assessment marks, which was the case during the Covid-19 pandemic when the Class X exams could not be conducted.

According to an official, among the candidates whose answer scripts went missing, the minimum internal marks secured by a candidate were 12 and the maximum 19. These internal assessment marks will be calculated for 100 by multiplying by five. “The department is exploring all the options, including considering internal assessment marks. Justice will be done to the candidates,” an official said.

Meanwhile, the spot evaluation of the SSC Public Exams answer scripts, conducted at 18 spot evaluation centres set up in the district headquarters, concluded. Currently, the results are being processed by the Directorate of Government Examinations, which is expected to announce it in the second week of May. “The Class X results will be declared after the Intermediate public examinations results,” the official said.

As many as 4,85,954 regular students registered for the Class X examinations, which were conducted from April 3-13.