Hyderabad: The Telangana State government is willing to have common Intermediate exams with Andhra Pradesh next year despite steps being initiated to form its own Intermediate Board.
Senior officials indicated that complete separation of the Intermediate examination process would complicate matters further since it was also tied to Eamcet and the state wouldn’t want to complicate matters at this stage. However, steps towards formation of the Telangana Intermediate Board are being seen as a bargaining chip when the education ministers of the two states meet to take a final decision. Officials, however, say that possibilities of a common Intermediate exam are far higher.
Education department officials also say that the government has only adopted the Intermediate Education Act and not formed the Board yet. “Formation of the Intermediate Board is not a small thing and takes lot of personnel and money,” a senior official said, adding that the adoption of the Act was definitely a first step in the direction of formation of the Telangana Inter Board.
However, sources indicate that the step has been taken ahead of the joint education ministers’ meet to use as a bargaining chip. Andhra Pradesh government is reluctant to go for separate Intermediate exams for the two states, though it has not said so explicitly. But the Telangana government is also not very stubborn and is willing to have common exams with Andhra Pradesh this academic year.
“We have asked the Board to have enough question banks for separate exams in the two states. But doing so will give rise to many other complications and debates. And further complications at this time of the year is not very good,” a senior education department official said.
Evaluation of answer-papers has already been segregated.
Officials say that separate Intermediate exams in the two states might only be a reality from the next academic year. A normalisation procedure would also be needed by the two Boards for Inter marks since it has weightage in Eamcet. “But we have given the government the option of completely doing away with Inter weightage as well. Ministers will take the final decision,” the official said.
Ministers G. Jagadish Reddy and Ganta Srinivasa Rao are expected to meet next week, though no date has been fixed.
