COIMBATORE: While the half-year exams this season started off with the question paper for the first subject (Tamil) being leaked for class IX students, it does not seem to have stopped there. Four days ago, the Chemistry question paper for class XII was leaked online; now, Monday comes with the news that the Social Science paper for class X was released the day before.
Students who got their hands on the two leaked papers were in for a treat as the DGE had no time to revise them before the exams.
The Social Science paper was leaked through the Share Chat mobile application on Sunday afternoon.
When the exam was held on Monday, students were surprised to see that it was the same paper. A Class-X student from Oppanakara Street Girls' Higher Secondary School said that though she did not believe the leaked paper to the real one, she prepared for the questions given in it anyway.
The next day, she found that that it was the same paper they were made to answer and ended up doing well. All her friends who got the leaked paper did well, she said.
The Chemistry paper for class XII was leaked on December 19 (Thursday) while the exam was scheduled for December 21 (Saturday). Here too the DGE stuck to the same paper for the exam instead of attempting a last-minute revision.
According to sources in the department, the Biology paper for class XII was also leaked online on Sunday. However, most of the districts (including Coimbatore) managed to prepare new question papers for the exam on Monday.
Departments pass the buck
The multiple incidents of question papers being leaked in a span of one week this term have educationalists concerned for the integrity of the system. Despite the series of event, the DGE and School Education Department seem to be blaming each other for the lapse.
For classes X, XI and XII, the DGE prepares the question papers for all major exams - quarterly, half-yearly and annual. DGE Director S Usharani points out that their work ends when they put the papers in a compact disk (CD) and it over to the education department. The latter then distributes it to the districts, she explains.
Senior officials at the department, on the other hand, hold the DGE accountable.
Call for action
Teachers, on their part, insists that the department should find the people responsible for the leaks. "This is the first time that question papers for the exams have been leaked repeatedly. This will affect the mindset of the students and they will not prepare for the exams," warns Tamil Nadu Art Teachers Welfare Association President S A Rajkumar.
After checking the Share Chat application, he says that there is a column for question papers and the ones leaked were from a user named Rishikesh.k. The person has even asked people to follow him for the next question paper, he notes, adding that many students follow this user.
Educationalists point out that unless the department comes forward to take steps to address this issue, it would damage the education system.