9% OU B Sc Answer Scripts Damaged In Fire Accident

The committee constituted to probe the fire accident in a store room in Osmania University has found that about 9% of the 87,000+ B Sc examination answer scripts (regular and backlog) kept in the coding room for coding purpose were seriously damaged, and that the remaining scripts were partially damaged.

The committee has recommended conducting the B Sc examinations in certain subjects once again in the last week of June 2018.

It also suggested an overhaul of the infrastructure, security and safety measures at the spot valuation centres to avoid any such accidents in the future.

For the uininitiated, fire broke out in the early hours on June 5 in a coding room, and a major flare-up was averted due to the efforts of the local staff and the fire officials who sprayed water and broke the ceiling to let the fumes and smoke out. The committee gathered that the damage was only partially due to the fire and more due to the water used to douse the fire. Water soaked many of the answer scripts making them illegible for valuation.

The coding room housed the B Sc scripts of the students of the affiliated and constituent colleges of the second semester (regular & backlog), fourth semester (regular), and first & third semester (backlogs) exams. In order to help students maintain continuity in their academics, the committee recommended that the exams be re-conducted in the affected subjects. All students except those booked for malpractices have to reappear for the semester exams as per the revised timetable to be circulated shortly to the colleges and to be displayed on the university website. Students need not pay any exam fees, and can take the exams in the same centres with the same hall tickets issued earlier.

A series of measures have also been suggested to prevent the recurrence of such mishaps, and these include augmenting the safety and security measures at the spot valuation centres, periodic checkup of the electrical safety devices, construction of a new building for counting and coding work, replacing the conventional coding system with a bar coding system, and posting qualified technical personnel to man the centre.

The university expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to the students, and appealed to them not to believe in rumours by vested interests. The university reiterated that it would take all the necessary steps to ensure that the students' interests were protected and that they were not put to any hardships while reappearing for the exams.

The university also said that it was planning to switch over to online evaluation in a phased manner.