Hyderabad : The controversy over the Telangana SSC results has reached the CM’s office. The huge dip in the pass percentage in the very first SSC exams in TS has embarrassed Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He is apparently upset with the flawed policies adopted by the School Education department and SSC Board to bring reforms in the exams hastily in the name of “continuous and comprehensive evaluation “(CCE), without preparing students and teachers first.

Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, registered a 11 per cent higher pass percentage than Telangana, bringing further pressure on the TS government to award grace marks, especially in Maths and Physics, in which a large number of students had failed. The TS government is under tremendous pressure to award 10 grace marks to failed students.

Students and parents have been holding protests in front of the SSC Board in Nampally and offices of the District Education Officers (DEOs) in all districts since May 17, when the results were declared, demanding grace marks to save the academic year of thousands of students.

With no response from the government, these agitations are turning violent and the DEO’s Office in Hyderabad was even attacked. The Chief Minister, however, has not been able to focus on the issue lately due to the Swachh Hyderabad campaign from May 16 to 20.

Mr Rao recently sought details on this controversy from officials on Thursday and asked them not to make any public statements against grace marks till the government took a final view on this issue.