KOCHI: Students who appeared for the All-India Premedical and Pre-dental Entrance Test at Bhavans Adarsha Vidyalaya, one of the examination centres, were in for a shock on Sunday when the authorities asked them to take off their wristwatches and ornaments before entering the examination hall.
However, the school authorities said they acted according to the guidelines set by the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE), which does not allow students to write examinations wearing digital watch and ornaments.The CBSE, the authority that conducts the entrance examination, has banned the use of electronic watches equipped with calculator, cellular phones, pagers, slide-rules and electronic gadgets that could be misused by students.
What angered some of the parents who had accompanied the students to the centre was that the school authorities asked the students to take off their wristwatches and ornaments just a few minutes before the commencement of the examination. This, according to them, led to confusion as the students had to rush to the parents to hand over their belongings.
“They made the female students take off their bangles and chains. What would the students do with their ornaments? It was unnecessary, or else, the school authorities should have provided locker facility to the students for keeping their belongings,” said an angry parent.
Meanwhile, students who were not accompanied by parents or guardians were forced to hand over their belongings to strangers. “It is understandable that we are not supposed to wear electronic watches. But, we were not allowed to wear any kind of wristwatch. It is important to wear a watch while attending an examination as it helps us divide time so as to attempt all the sections,” said a student who appeared for the test.
Meanwhile, several other centres in the city did not insist the students to remove their ornaments and watches before entering examination hall.