Govt's new resolve unnerves examinees

Radhika D Srivastava / TNN / Feb 15, 2007, 04:01 IST

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For all these years, mass copying and cheating was a part of the Bihar government-run Intermediate examinations.

PATNA: For all these years, mass copying and cheating was a part of the Bihar government-run Intermediate (Class 12 board) examinations. Students openly cheated and parents often entered examination halls to help out their wards. There was no trouble, no mob, no tear gas, no firing and not even heated exchanges.
But this year, the storyline changed. Suddenly cheating became taboo.Even though school education standards remained the same, the absenteeism of teachers remained just as before and the general lackadaisical attitude towards learning remained ditto as in the past years.
Clearly students and parents were upset with the new government's new resolve to hold fair exams. How else does one explain four violent incidents involving thousands of people, in just the first three days of the intermediate examinations?
The government, however, is undeterred by the incidents. And is determined not to allow unfair means. Bihar Intermediate Education Council chairman Girish Shankar said, "Cheating is not an option anymore. People should realise there is no question of using unfair means at examination."

He said, "What has been happening in the past few days is very worrying. We are very concerned over the demands that people have been making from the authorities conducting the examination."
He said, "There is something seriously wrong with the confidence levels of students and families. Why should they make such requests?". Shankar agreed that in the past several years, cheating had become a norm and people were used to it. He reiterated that from now on, there would be no question of using unfair means in examination.

Shankar also said the district magistrates of the troubled districts were working overtime to maintain law and order during the examination and also ensure the safety of the government staff involved in conducting the exams.
On the very first day of the Intermediate exams on February 12, a mob of students torched vehicles and pelted stones at the police after they weren't allowed to appear for the exams.
Authorities said these students weren't bonafide examinees and did not have admit cards. On the second day, trouble erupted in Saharsa when hundreds of parents went on a rampage as they were stopped from entering the examination centre. The Saharsa police had to fire 16 rounds on Tuesday in which five persons were injured.
On Wednesday, students of two centres in Madhepura disrupted the exam as they were stopped from cheating forcing the police to fire 30 rounds to disperse the mob. On the same day, hundreds of examinees in Vaishali district broke furniture and fought with the police. These examinees said they should be allowed to cheat as their teachers had not finished the curriculum in the classroom.

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