CHENNAI: After suspending 37 temporary staff for their alleged involvement in malpractices in examinations, Anna University has decided to store the answer scripts in a more secure and safe place, Vice-Chancellor M K Surappa has said. Along with strengthening the security of the places where answer scripts are stored, the university will also conduct awareness drives among the examination invigilators and other stakeholders.
“Through sensitisation drive we will urge invigilators and other persons involved in the examination process to do their job diligently and not to indulge in such malpractices,” said Surappa. However, he refused to divulge the details as to how the university will ensure the security of the answer scripts. “We will take adequate measures to avoid a rerun of the incident,” he told Express.
Notably, Anna University has unearthed a scam related to examinations in November -December 2017 and terminated 37 temporary staff. An inquiry committee found that the terminated staff allegedly connived with students and some other officials of the university, and allowed students to write their papers outside the examination hall.
According to sources in the varsity, the group took at least `15,000 to `40,000 from each student. “The group committed the malpractice cunningly. After taking money from students, it used to take out the original answer scripts of the students concerned from the bundle after the examination and later handed over blank answer sheets to them. The students or any candidate entrusted by them used to fill the blank answer sheets with the correct answers outside the examination hall. Later, the same was inserted into the bundle,” said an official.