The Hindu : Karnataka News : Question paper leak, malpractice in ITI examination come to light

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 27, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Question paper leak, malpractice in ITI examination come to light

T.V. Sivanandan

IN SOUP: Students appearing for the practical examination at the Government Industrial Training Institute in Gulbarga on Thursday.

Gulbarga: Leak of question papers of at least two subjects and malpractice in the annual examination of the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in the State have come to light now.

The casual manner in which the examination was conducted by the Director General of Employment and Training, New Delhi, simultaneously in all States has given room to suspicion that all is not well.

The examination was gone through without any sanctity and seriousness at three examination centres in Gulbarga.

Following complaints of the leak of a practical examination question paper, Commissioner of Employment and Training annulled Thursday’s practical examination in the three centres. The next date of the examination would be announced later.

As many as 1,670 students are appearing for the examination in the three centres and 380 are taking it in the Yadgir centre. In the State, more than 40,000 students are appearing for the examination in different trades in ITI, while in Gulbarga division, more than 8,000 students are taking the examination.

Irregularities and the question paper leak first came to light after a surprise check at the three centres conducted by Deputy Commissioner Pankajkumar Pandey and Chief Executive Officer of the Gulbarga Zilla Panchayat P.C. Jaffer on July 24.

The two officials not only detected leak of workshop calculation and science question paper for which the examination was held on July 23 but also that the answer sheets were faxed from Chitradurga and Bangalore.

They seized them from the students in the examination hall.

Official sources told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity that the district administration has sought the cancellation of the examination.

In a two-page report submitted to the Principal Secretary of the Department of Labour, the Deputy Commissioner and the panchayat Chief Executive Officer have pointed out several irregularities and breach of secrecy and security in protecting question papers at the examination centres.

During their inspection, the Deputy Commissioner passed an express order to shift the question papers of the remaining subjects to the district treasury. A senior district-level officer was appointed as nodal officer for each centre.

There were also complaints of impersonation which, however, needs to be verified.

On Thursday, there was chaos at the examination centres. At one of the centres, question papers had not arrived even two hours after the examination began.

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