Mass copying, Goof-ups put JKBOSE credibility at stake

Editor

The credibility gap of the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE), which has been mandated to conduct public examinations of secondary and higher secondary classes, and prepare results of examinations, has hit it hard.
The recent instances of mass copying, irregularities and goof-ups at the examination centres set up by the board for Classes X and XII exams have exposed the vulnerability to “fool-proof” system which, according to experts, needs immediate remedial measures to restore the faith of stakeholders in the “reliability” of the institution.
In a major goof-up on March 3, the question papers of Class XII were distributed among the students during the Class X exams at two examination centres in Kathua district. After facing embarrassment, the School Education Department, as a face saver, ordered an inquiry and suspended six employees, including superintendents and deputy superintendents, of the exam centres.
On March 1, Class XII students, who appeared in physics paper, were forced to come out on streets after they alleged that nearly 80 per cent of the question paper was set out of pattern and they were unable to solve it. The board, however, has claimed that there was no change in the pattern of physics exam.
On February 22, JKBOSE had to cancel Class X paper at Government Higher Secondary School, Haran Soibugh, Budgam district, after videos of mass copying went viral in social media.
A senior academician, preferring anonymity, said, “Time has come when the examination system needs an overhaul and exhaustive reforms. The recent instances have shattered the faith of parents as well as the student community in the fairness of exams. The government should seriously look into the lapses in the examination system and devise a fool-proof mechanism to ensure that such incidents don’t happen in future.”
When contacted, Veena Pandita, JKBOSE secretary, refused to comment on the subject. She said: “I am not able to comment on this. You should talk to the chairman.”
Professor Zahoor Ahmed Chatt, JKBOSE chairman, was unavailable for comments as he did not respond to repeated phone calls.

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