COIMBATORE: Class XII public exams commenced at various centres on Friday. Several scribes who assist differently abled students faced difficulties in reaching distant exam centres as officers of the school education department informed duty allocation only on Thursday night.
Scribes who are handling Tamil subject for class XI and XII students alleged educational officers in the Coimbatore district did not allocate exam duty for them till Thursday evening.
“The officer told me on Thursday evening that exam duty was allocated to an centre at Valparai block. I did not accept this centre as it is 100 km away. Finally, they allocated an exam centre in the Pollachi South block. I accepted it as it was about 40 km away,” said a scribe, who works at a government higher secondary school in Sulthanpet block. He spoke to TNIE on the condition of anonymity.
“I reached the exam centre on Friday morning after travelling around 40 km by bus. I left home very early but was tense until I reached the exam centre,” he said.
A student even had to wait for a scribe as the latter arrived late, claimed a source in the teaching community. As per duty allocation this scribe, who is a private school teacher, went to the Mariammal Girls Higher Secondary School for exam duty. After 9.30 am he was instructed to go to the centre located at Anaimalai block. He reached the centre after 10.30 am, the source explained.
“There was havoc in allocation scribe duty to the teachers. Apart from this, many scribes were assigned exam centres at distant places,” sources added.
“As per norm, exam duty should have been allocated to the teacher at an 8-15 km distance but this was not followed. For instance, a female teacher who works at Anaimalai block was given scribe duty at an exam centre in Valparai block. Like her many teachers suffered,” he said.
Many teachers were stressed due to the late duty allocation and this could have been avoided. Allocation of exam duty should be done a week before, he added.
When contacted, Chief Educational Officer R Balamurali denied the allegations and told TNIE that exam duty was allocated to teachers based on the proximity to the working place. In Coimbatore, as many as 34,151 students along with private candidates wrote the board examination at the 127 centres. Those absent were 325. Twenty-one prisoners took the exam at Coimbatore Central Prison.
Meanwhile, students told TNIE that the board examination of the Tamil language was easy. Teachers also said compared to previous years the questions were very easy. Transgender D Aijitha of corporation higher secondary school at North Coimbatore wrote exam at a centre in the city.