With only 2 days in hand, students make a beeline for photocopies

Bengaluru: It was meant to be vacation time for Rupashree K. After slogging for months, the girl deserved a break. But instead of unwinding at home, the student of Christ Junior College was lined up outside the BangaloreOne Centre in Koramangala. She wanted to apply for a photocopy of her PU answerscript as she felt she had been marked incorrectly. "I have been a bright student and never secured below 95% in my academic career. I was shocked to see that I scored only 77 in mathematics. I had attempted all questions," said an agitated Rupashree who hasn't eaten properly since the results were announced. A day after the education minister put off declaration of the CET and ComedK results, demand for photocopies of answerscripts has shot up. By Friday evening, authorities were flooded with 20,623 requests for photocopies and 3,000 for re-evaluation. A senior official from the department of PU education (DPUE) said the demand increased by 30% on Saturday and they will get the exact numbers by Monday. For many like Rupashree, time is running out. "We won't get the marks we deserve even after applying for photocopies as the last date for submitting revaluation applications is May 25. It's already May 23 and the PU board is not doing anything about it," said an exasperated Rupashree. "They have cheated us and our children. They call students the country's future. What about our children's future? How can the authorities be so irresponsible? I expected my daughter to score 96% and she got a mere 87% despite all the hard work she put in," said Keshava Reddy, Rupashree's father. Deepa H G, a student from Krupanidhi College, Koramangala, is also experiencing the same frustration. Expecting to score above 70 in chemistry and biology, and more than 80 in Maths, she got 50 in chemistry and 54 in both biology and maths. Complaints galore The helpline started by the PU board received hundreds of calls on Saturday. Harried students and parents queued up at the board's office. With May 25 being the last date for submitting revaluation requests, students were seen frantically filing up applications. Even the helpdesk set up at the office was buzzing. -Sreemoyee Chatterjee The BREAK-UP 27,516: No. of applications received by DPUE for photocopies of answerscripts 5,593: Applications for revaluation 739: Applications for re-totalling 1,800: Answerscripts dispatched in first batch to applicants' addresses 5,000: Answerscripts Xeroxed on Saturday 5,000: Answerscripts to be taken up for dispatch on Monday Of the 147 cases of results being withheld, 29 have been cleared. -TOI