Students demand lower answer key objection fee, QR codes on hall tickets
Students appearing for state university entrance exams demanded relief from the steep ₹500 fee for challenging answer key errors, saying it discourages many from raising valid objections.
Hyderabad: Students appearing for state university entrance exams demanded relief from the steep ₹500 fee for challenging answer key errors, saying it discourages many from raising valid objections. They also urged authorities to introduce a QR code on hall tickets to help locate exam centres easily, as many candidates struggle to find their venues, sometimes missing exams altogether.
With thousands of students appearing for entrance tests across Hyderabad, candidates said the ₹500 objection fee was unaffordable, particularly for those from economically weaker backgrounds. “If an answer key has errors, students must be able to challenge it freely,” said R. Naik, a student leader. “For many of us, ₹500 is too high. Some might have genuine concerns but won’t raise them because they can’t afford it.” He and others are calling for the fee to be reduced to ₹200 to ensure fairness in the evaluation process.
Many come from rural areas and have difficulty navigating Hyderabad’s vast cityscape. They say a simple QR code on hall tickets, which could provide instant navigation to their centres via Google Maps, would be a game-changer. “Every year, some students miss their exams just because they couldn’t find the centre on time,” said Shiva Krishna, another student representative. “This is completely avoidable. A QR code would solve the problem instantly.”
Another key demand was the setting up of help desks in major areas like Abids, Mehdipatnam, Kompally, Moinabad, LB Nagar, and Uppal, where large numbers of students take their exams. The idea is to provide last-minute assistance, directions, and support to candidates who might be struggling.
On Friday, a delegation from the Students’ Protection Forum met Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) Chairman Prof. Balakista Reddy at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) and submitted a petition detailing these demands.
Prof. Reddy is said to have acknowledged the concerns and assured that discussions would be held with the relevant authorities. On the objection fee, he explained that it was intended to prevent misuse by coaching centres filing mass objections, but noted that valid challenges would be refunded. He said the council would consult exam-conducting agencies to explore integrating QR codes on hall tickets and would discuss the possibility of setting up help desks with exam conveners.
