35 caught for malpractice in B.Ed. exam

By G. Mahadevan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 2. As many as 35 students have been caught for examination malpractice in the just concluded Kerala University's B.Ed. examination.

According to university officials, these students were caught by special squads which conducted surprise inspections in 10 centres in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam. The examinations concluded on December 30 last.

University sources said the squads were constituted on December 29 after Syndicate members and officials got reports of large- scale copying in the B.Ed examination. The squads were then deployed on an emergency basis and in some places the squad members reportedly came across instances_mainly in unaided B.Ed. colleges_ where the invigilators themselves were actively aiding the students in malpractice.

In many cases, the malpractice was in the form of concealed pieces of paper where answers to important questions were written. In some cases, whole essays were reportedly found written on these chits. In many other cases, students are said to have made notations and markings on hall tickets and some even on the desks in the examination hall. Sensing the delicate nature of their job, some squads have obtained written confirmation from the students themselves that they have indulged in malpractice. All the material seized have been handed over to the Controller of Examinations, Kerala University.

Catching students for examination malpractice has its pitfalls for the invigilator concerned--as a professor of the University College, Thiruvananthapuram, found out a few days ago. Even as the professor apprehended a student for malpractice, the latter is said to have abused the former in front of other students. Later, as the professor was leaving the college, the student, along with a group of others, is reported to have waylaid him and beaten him up. The professor has lodged a complaint with the police.

Such incidents have prompted many top university officials to take more stringent punitive action against students caught in examination malpractice. At present, when a malpractice case comes up before the Student Discipline Committee, what a student loses at the most is two chances or one year. Often, with the aid of an `unqualified apology' and a `fine' of Rs. 500, what the student loses is six months, something any student writing improvement would lose anyway.

Some university officials, including Syndicate members, are now advocating for a system in which the university would be in direct charge of invigilation. There are also moves to avoid giving exam centres to unaided colleges where the university has little control over the way examinations are conducted. However, such moves had been thwarted in the Syndicate in the past, by forces sympathetic to unaided college managements.

The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. B. Ekbal, is meeting with top university officials and Syndicate members in a couple of days, to discuss various aspects relating to the widely prevalent examination malpractice.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Woman mauled and drowned to death by crocodile
Next     : Bharathi birth anniversary