25 students committed suicide within a span of 10 days in Telangana, India because they all thought they had failed their exam.
NDTV reports that about 33 per cent of the 970,000 students sitting for the state board’s intermediate exam – which was conducted by a private agency, Globarena Technologies Pvt Ltd, failed the exam.
FYI, Globarana was given a “contract by the KCR government for technical support” but it allegedly didn’t meet the tender criteria, which included experience in handling a state board or a university’s exam results.
It was reported that there seems to have been a huge miscalculation on their exam papers as well as an alleged scam involved in this issue. Nonetheless, news about the miscalculation came too late as the initial disappointing results led 25 students to take their own lives.
Source: NDTV
Amongst the 25 students who committed suicide were two girls in Mahbubnagar, Hyderabad who used kerosene to set themselves on fire after their grades were released on 18 April 2019. Other students who “failed” the exam took their own lives by hanging themselves. Oh dear!
If only they knew how stark the difference in grades was after the exam papers were regraded. For instance, one student scored 99 per cent after their Telugu paper was regraded but previously, they were given a zero for that subject.
Following the regrading, the teacher who marked the paper wrongly was suspended and given a fine of INR5,000 (approx RM298) after a report was lodged against him. Subsequently, the teacher was fired by the school’s administration.
Source: Vice
Deservedly, this huge mistake caused outrage in Telangana. Politician K Laxman – who is the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) state unit chief – started an indefinite hunger strike and demanded an investigation of the issue.
He also requested the removal of Education Minister Guntakandla Jagdishwar Reddy and called for the Secretary of Board of Intermediate Education to be fired. Laxman was quoted by NDTV as saying,
“We are demanding a judicial probe into this. Or even by the CBI. This is not just mismanagement. This is a huge scam. The company that was given the contact for end-to-end technical support was simply not qualified to handle the future of 9.7 lakh (970,000) children.”
Do you think that the authorities should pay heed to Laxman’s demands?
Source: NDTV
As of the time of publishing, there are no further updates on this case. That said, always remember to reach out to your friends and family to help you cope with your problems.
If you need someone to lend an ear to your difficulties, you can also call Befrienders KL at 603-79568145. Remember, guys, you are never alone!
Also read: 41yo Man in Miri Sends Video Of Himself to Wife Before Committing Suicide in Car
