TDP, YSR Congress Party trade charges over low Class 10 pass percentage in Andhra

While TDP leader Nara Lokesh Naidu termed it a failure of state government, YSRCP’s Vijayasai Reddy attributes question paper leak by Narayana Group of institutions for lowest pass percentage

YSRCP MP V Vijayasai Reddy (L) and TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh Naidu. (File/Twitter)

The ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh sparred over the low pass percentage in SSC Class 10 examinations, the results of which were declared Monday. TDP national general secretary Nara Lokesh Naidu, while flagging concern over the lowest pass percentage of 67.26 in Class 10 examination in the past 20 years, termed it a failure of the state government. “It is not the students who failed, but the state government, which performed dismally in ensuring quality education in government schools,” Lokesh said.

However, V Vijayasai Reddy, YSRCP parliamentary party leader and Rajya Sabha MP, hit back by saying that the low pass percentage was triggered by the Class 10 question paper leak by the staff of Narayana Group of educational institutions. “Due to the paper leak, students became tense and disturbed, and could not write their exams well,” he said.

Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana said that failed students can appear for supplementary exams from July 6 to 15. He also blamed the paper leak by Narayana Group for causing confusion and anxiety among students, due to which they fare well in their exams.

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As per the results published by the AP Education Department Monday,

67.26 per cent students cleared the exams – the lowest in over two decades. This was the first Class X examination held since the pandemic outbreak. All students were declared passed and promoted to the next level in 2020 and 2021, as examinations were not conducted due to Covid-19 epidemic.

Of the 6,15,908 students who appeared for the board exams held from April 27 to May 9, a total of 4,14,281 passed. The pass percentage of girls and boys were 70.70 and 64.02 respectively. However, 71 government schools reported zero pass percentage when 797 schools registered cent percent pass,

TDP leaders alleged that the dismal show in Class 10 exams is part of the state government’s move to reduce the number of beneficiaries under a scheme whereby the government transfers Rs 15,000 per year to women from socially and economically backward families as an incentive to send their children to schools.

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Coming down heavily on the government, Lokesh Naidu said it deliberately kept the pass percentage at a low level to reduce the financial burden and the number of beneficiaries of the scheme. Other TDP leaders accused the state government of not addressing the problem of shortage of teachers due to which the quality of education dipped. They also pointed out that largescale irregularities, paper leaks and mass copying occurred during the exams.

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