WBBSE cracks whip on use of unfair means, cancels examination of 73 students

Kolkata: The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) adopted a zero tolerance policy against students who were caught by invigilators while resorting to unfair means in the Madhyamik Examination this year. The Board has cancelled examination of as many as 73 students in 2019, whereas the number was only 17 last year.

"We had adopted a number of measures to curb malpractices during examination and the invigilators were instructed to maintain strict vigil. There were as many as 136 cases of adopting unfair means that were presented before us, among which we exonerated 63. Papers of the other 73 were cancelled. A number of these candidates were caught with mobile phones inside the examination hall," said Kalyanmoy Ganguly, president of WBBSE.

The number of cases of adopting unfair means presented before the Board last year was 59, among which 17 were cancelled.

It may be mentioned that the Madhyamik Examination this year was mired in controversy as question papers of a number of subjects were found circulating on WhatsApp, soon after commencement of the examination. "We had taken strong action against such malpractice. A group that was involved in such an act was unearthed by the police and a number of arrests were made," Ganguly said.

The district administration also snapped internet connectivity in a few districts during examination hours, after the police identified a few districts from which such WhatsApp groups had originated.

The Board president, however, made it clear that the candidates whose examinations were cancelled, will be allowed to sit for the examination again this year. The Board had earlier threatened to cancel the registration of the candidates who were caught with mobile phones, but later took a soft stand considering the well-being of their career.

For the first time this year that sealed packets of question papers were opened in the examination hall by the invigilator and distributed immediately among the students. The decision came in the wake of charges of opening the seal of question papers much before the scheduled time by the headmaster of Maynaguri Subhasnagar High School Haridayal Roy, during last year's examination. He had allegedly made question papers of more than one subject available to the topper of the school. Roy was subsequently suspended for his act.