Only 10 per cent of the 212 students who appeared for the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) exam from Mumbai this year, seem to have got their results. The data of the remaining students is said to be "missing". Mumbai is not an exception. Around 8,000 of the 12,000 candidates who gave the exam from Maharashtra in May this year, were in for a similar shock.

The development has caused a wave of panic among students, who have been waiting for the results since July, so that they can apply for jobs. ITI-run courses are skill oriented, and hence, mostly preferred by students from underprivileged backgrounds. After a two-year course, followed by a year of apprenticeship, students appear for a final examination, to acquire a certificate from the National Council of Vocation Training (NCVT). This certificate, which is valid globally, helps them secure jobs.