The Hindu : Answers to SSLC paper circulated in Mandya

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 30, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Answers to SSLC paper circulated in Mandya

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, MARCH 29. Anxiety over a possible announcement of a re-examination of the SSLC social science paper gripped parents and students after answers to questions were found to have been circulated in Mandya today, the last day of the SSLC examination.

Sources said that at around 10 a.m., the Deputy Commissioner, Rajkamal, received from a journalist a set of answers prepared for the social science question paper. The answers, which were written on white paper, were available at photostat copy centres in Mandya, it is learnt. Mr. Rajkamal informed officials of the Education Department about the circulation of answers.

According to sources, papers on which answers were written were handed over to Mr. Rajkamal within 30 minutes of the commencement of the examination this morning.

Even as the examination was under way, Mr. Rajkamal visited a couple of centres in Mandya town.

The Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Gangadhara Gowda, told The Hindu that soon after a complaint was received by Mr. Rajkamal, subject inspectors from the department were sent to 13 examination centres to investigate whether the question paper had been leaked. They found that answers to the social science paper had been prepared and circulated, he said. These related to questions which were to be answered in one word or one sentence. Some of the answers were wrong, he added.

Mr. Gangadhara Gowda said that the investigators had ruled out question paper leakage as answers to only a few questions, which carried 25 marks in all, were circulated. The number of question papers as per the indent tallied with that of question papers distributed, he added.

Asked whether any member of the staff of the department was involved in the circulation of answers, he said that this could not be ruled out given the technology available. An inquiry would expose the guilty.

The answers to questions might have been prepared and faxed. No complaint had been received from parents of students, he added.

Mr. Gangadhara Gowda said that a report would be sent to the Commissioner of Public Instruction and copies to the examination board and the Intelligence Department. A final decision would be taken by the Government, he added.

Mr. Rajkamal The Hindu that the answers might have been written down on paper soon after the cover containing the question papers was opened.

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