DEHRADUN: In a shocking expose, the crumbling state of government education in Uttarakhand has reached unprecedented lows. Junior High School Nelda in Jakhanidhar block, Tehri, has become a stark testament to this reality.
In an unprecedented incident, 18 students at Junior High School Nelda took their mid-term mathematics and art exams without teacher supervision.
What's more startling is that after the exam, Principal Pawan Singh Negi inquired through informal channels, "Did the paper go smoothly?" ("Kya paper theek-thaak ho gaya?")
After finishing their exams, students returned home, but the teachers still didn't deem it necessary to arrive at the school.
The school, which has a principal, Pawan Singh Negi, and a female teacher, Beero Devi, saw no effort from the staff to oversee the exam. When asked about his absence, Principal Negi claimed, "I had to rush to the hospital due to sudden health issues."
Tehri Garhwal District Magistrate Mayur Dixit has suspended Pawan Singh Negi, principal of Rajkiya Prathmik Vidyalaya (RPV) Nelda, citing negligence and indifference in departmental duties.
"We have suspended Pawan Singh Negi, Principal of Nelda, due to negligence and indifference in departmental duties and conduct detrimental to student interests," Dixit stated.
Junior High School teacher Beero Devi has officially joined Nelda but chooses to teach at Samnagaon, her former school, according to official sources. Jakhanidhar Block Education Officer Monika Bam assured action amid the exam controversy at Junior High School Nelda.
"We had assigned a teacher from a nearby primary school to oversee the exam at Nelda, but they failed to show up," Bam said. "We've sought clarification and will conduct the exam again."
The ongoing mid-term exams for secondary schools, which commenced on Monday, have been plagued by widespread discrepancies in question papers across multiple districts, including Tehri and Pauri.
"In one school, the 11th-grade biology question paper was replaced with an English paper," said a local education official.
District Education Officer, Pauri, noted, "We're facing technical issues. In some schools, we're sending PDFs of the question papers, which teachers are downloading and getting photocopied from local markets."
This has resulted in students waiting for hours outside exam halls. "This is unacceptable," said a frustrated student. "We're losing valuable time, and our future is at stake."
In an astonishing display of administrative ineptitude, students at a local school were left scrambling after they weren't provided maps for a map-based question in their exam.
"We were asked to answer cartography questions, but no maps were given," said a frustrated student. "It was chaos."
According to department sources, school officials had to urgently procure photocopies of maps from another school, delaying the exam.
"It's unacceptable that such negligence occurred," said District Education Officer Pauri. "We'll investigate and take action."
"We were unaware of this incident," stated Nagendra Barthwal, Chief Education Officer of Pauri, regarding the recent exam irregularities.
"Providing incorrect question papers to students is a serious matter. We will investigate this incident and take action against those responsible."
Barthwal assured that the investigation will identify the level at which the mistake occurred and ensure that the individuals involved face consequences.