Questions on leaked question paper
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: March 06, 2014 -

The headline of a news report published in Hindustan Times on its March 5, 2014 said: “CBSE Class 12 students find physics question paper easy”.

This is rather ironic in view of the confirmation of the leakage of the question paper of Physics.

Even though Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has long years of experience and always maintained a very high level of security in all its activities, thus, giving little scope for anyone to raise question as well as finger against the autonomous organisation which is under the Union HRD ministry, it has been an altogether different story when it comes to the conduct of CBSE examinations in Manipur with thick cloud of suspicion hovering over them, every time.

But this time, it has been proved beyond an iota of doubt that these are no mere suspicion.

All the three sets of question paper for Physics for class XII, which we uploaded on our website as “leaked out” question paper sold in the State for a sum of Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 turning out to be the exact question paper for the examination which was distributed among the examinees on March 5.

Before uploading the “leaked out” question paper on our website, we contacted every possible forum related to CBSE for confirmation.

But the response we get was the usual ‘don’t listen to rumour’, which is very unfortunate.

Here, what we would like to say is that howsoever invincible it might, CBSE too its own moments to be red-faced.

Few years back, Government of India had even recommended a CBI inquiry into allegations of disproportionate assets against one of its most senior officials named Pitam Singh, the then head of special exams at CBSE who was responsible for conducting the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) from 2005 to 2012 — the largest engineering entrance test in the country — after he was accused of making money by allegedly leaking AIEEE questions papers.

Apart from this, he was also charged charged with indulging in corruption while managing bids for the conduct of online examination for AIEEE.

Incidentally, the AIEEE paper leak in 2011 also happened during his tenure as head of special exams. Leaving aside this sordid issue, the question as well as the finger that we would like to raise now is how it has been possible for the leakage of the question paper of Physics paper in Manipur.

If the officials of CBSE really want to stem the rot, it should not be such difficult task considering the fact that there are not many examination centres and even lesser officials who are entrusted with the task of keeping the sealed question papers intact until the day of the examination.

Now, it is upto to the wisdom of the CBSE officials, who always swear by the experiences and integrity of the Board, whether they order re-examination or not or action is taken up to pull up the responsible officials for the ‘leaked’, but it would be such a shame if another all India topper came out after writing such easy question papers in Manipur, which is becoming (to use the words of one of our writers) a place for ‘educational smuggling’ as well.