Amaravati, March 16 – Over six lakh students are appearing in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) (Class 10) public examinations that began across Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
The examination centers were bustling with activity since morning as students, many accompanied by their parents, reached the allotted centers well before the scheduled time.
The examinations commenced at 9:30 a.m. at 3,415 centers, with elaborate arrangements made by the Board of Secondary Education.
According to officials, a total of 6,40,916 students registered for the examination. This includes 3,28,652 boys and 3,12,264 girls. As many as 18,842 private candidates are also appearing in the exams.
The examinations are held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., with a duration of three hours and 15 minutes. Students were allowed into the centers at 9 a.m. after thorough security checks.
The examinations began with the First Language paper on Monday. This will be followed by the Second Language on March 18, English on March 21, Mathematics on March 23, Physical Science on March 25, Biological Science on March 28, and Social Studies on March 30.
The Physical Science and Biological Science papers will be conducted from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., each for two hours, as both papers carry 50 marks each.
According to the schedule announced by the Board, the examinations will be held for seven papers carrying a total of 600 marks.
Officials said that all examination centers have been equipped with CCTV cameras, adequate benches, drinking water facilities, and medical response teams to ensure the smooth conduct of the examinations.
Officials added that strict monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to prevent malpractice.
Examinations Director K.V. Srinivasula Reddy said that a total of 38,958 invigilators were assigned duties for the language examination papers.
The Board has constituted 156 flying squads for inspections at the exam centers to check malpractice.
Candidates were provided free travel facility in APSRTC buses to reach their respective examination centers.
Meanwhile, the government said over 2.38 lakh candidates downloaded hall tickets through the 'Mana Mitra' WhatsApp Governance platform. The platform, said to be the first of its kind, registered 3.16 lakh hits for hall-tickets.
According to officials, the facility proved highly beneficial for students as hall-tickets landed in their hands the moment they typed ‘Hi’.
For the first time, the government enabled students appearing for the SSC public examinations to obtain their hall tickets through the Mana Mitra WhatsApp Governance number 9552300009.
Additionally, 65,477 students downloaded their hall tickets through the Education Department’s LEAP app, while the highest number—7,53,834 students—obtained their hall tickets through the official online website.