SALEM: The School Education Department has sought a detailed explanation from Salem Chief Educational Officer (CEO) P Maheswari over the delay in reporting an alleged case of malpractice during a Class 12 public examination, and the time taken to initiate an inquiry into the incident.
In a communication dated April 13, the district monitoring officer and Director of Non-Formal and Adult Education, P Kuppusamy, noted that established guidelines mandate that any malpractice during public examinations must be immediately brought to the notice of the district monitoring officer.
He sought clarification on why this procedure was not followed despite the incident being reported on the same day, and also questioned the delay in conducting the inquiry. The department further called for a detailed report of the inquiry conducted on the private school and the staff allegedly involved.
The incident pertains to a Class 12 mathematics examination held on March 17 at a private school in Muthampatti near Vazhapadi. According to sources, the chief superintendent of the examination centre, a government school headmaster from Mettupatti, became suspicious after noticing students frequently leaving the examination hall to use the restroom.
On inspection, he reportedly found answers related to the examination pasted inside the restroom walls, with two members of the private school staff present in the area at the time. The matter was brought to the notice of the CEO on the same day. However, a formal inquiry into the incident was conducted only on April 7, nearly 20 days after the examination, raising concerns over the delay in initiating action.