Kolkata: Twelve candidates were caught with mobile phones during the Madhyamik geography examination on Saturday, with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education saying most were attempting to use artificial intelligence tools, often in groups.
Board officials said 11 of the 12 candidates were found using AI-based tools. In several cases, one student entered questions into an AI tool and shared the answers verbally with others. Some were detected while repeatedly checking their phones for responses. Phones were hidden in toilets, shoes and undergarments.
In one case, a candidate allegedly tried to mislead the invigilator by bringing last year’s question paper, leaving it on the bench and taking the current paper to the toilet to obtain answers through an AI tool, but was caught.
According to the board, four candidates from Garden Reach Kesoram Cotton Mills High School were caught at Badartala High School in Kolkata. Two were caught in Cooch Behar from different schools, and one each in North 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, Hooghly, Bankura, Birbhum and West Burdwan.
The board cancelled the entire examination of those caught with mobile phones, taking the total number of such cancellations this year to 31.
During the history paper on Friday, a mathematics teacher of Mathurapur BSS High School in Manikchak, Malda, was caught on CCTV allegedly supplying answers to candidates. He fled after being confronted and was later suspended, and the board said legal action would follow.
In another incident, students from a Kolkata school allegedly damaged property at an examination venue on Saturday.
The matter was settled between the schools, and no formal complaint was lodged.