Just when Std 10 students of the Central Board of Secondary Education heaved a sigh of relief over finishing the problematic and most-feared Math paper, little did they realize that they would be subjected to a trauma of the worst kind “ of preparing again for a paper they just finished answering. Satisfaction over crossing the Math hurdle soon turned into despair. The implications of re-exams can be huge. Students will lose focus on the remainder of the subjects, and secondly all plans of a well-earned holiday have been jeopardized with an uncertain schedule since re-exam will only happen after April 15. Innocent students who toiled hard throughout the year become victims for no fault of theirs.
The re-exam of 12th standard economics paper and the 10th standard Math paper have left millions of students across the nation traumatized. There are 1.7 million Std 10 students and 5,00,000 Std 12 students. Questions need to be raised on why the Board or the police did not take the tip-off of a paper leak seriously when it spread three days ago. The leak news first started to roll out on March 15, ahead of the 12th Standard Accountancy paper. This is when the board denied any slip-up and decided to go ahead with the schedule.
There were reports that a copy of the leaked question paper of the Class 10 Math exam on Wednesday was delivered to the office of the CBSE chairperson on Tuesday evening. If there was enough proof, why did the Board prefer to remain mum and go ahead with the exam? Why was the paper not called off?
The Board is convinced about the leak of two papers, but there is no guarantee about others not being leaked too, since they come from the same system. Education Minister Prakash Javadekar’s claim that 2-3 papers were leaked on WhatsApp 30 minutes before the exams indicates that there is uncertainty over how many papers are leaked.
A fool-proof system should have been in place going by previous scares of paper leaks. It is only now when the system is beaten hollow and the fraternity is shaken that the government has decided to move. Why were there no plans to secure the system earlier, now that Javadekar is talking about using technology?
Several states, including Goa may seek exemption from the re-examination on the premise that the effect of the paper leak was not felt in all states. This is a tough call which the CBSE will have to take since the leak has happened through social media and WhatsApp, the reach of which is beyond anyone’s imagination. In such a case it is unlikely that the Board will call for a re-exam in select states.
Students cannot be exposed to such insecurities. The government and CBSE should act fast and restore the confidence of the students and parents alike in the Board.
