Patna: There were murmurs among students that the Class XII accountancy and biology papers had leaked in Patna even before the Class X mathematics and Class XII economics paper were cancelled on Wednesday, said teachers at CBSE schools in the city.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) authorities had denied the earlier papers were leaked.
"Many students had told us about leaking of Class XII accountancy and biology papers but we told them not to believe in the rumour," said a teacher at a CBSE school.
She said students had told her that the accountancy paper was available an hour before the exam and that biology the question paper was also in circulation.
"The CBSE authorities should check this," the teacher said. "Sometimes people with ulterior motives also try to create panic by circulating the question paper right after the exam starts and try to coin it as a paper leak because they want exam to be cancelled. But when the mathematics and economics papers have been found to be leaked, there can be also a possibility that the other papers whose exams were conducted earlier might have been leaked too."
The teacher said students had told her that the mathematics paper was being sold for Rs 200 on the morning of the exam.
The board's cancellation of the Class X mathematics and Class XII economics papers has dealt a severe blow to students, throwing all their plans awry.
"I thought I had one month's time to prepare for CAT on May 13 and also for Benaras Hindu University's entrance test on May 27, but now the economics re-exam is going to hamper my preparations," rued Pragya Prakash, a Class XII student. "I had also planned my vacations and I was about to go to Dehradun and Ooty with my family on a nine-day trip but all that has been ruined; I can't go on a vacation. I will have to prepare for the economics re-exam and the entrance tests simultaneously, which won't be very easy for me."
Pragya said that some of her friends, who were preparing for the entrance test for Christ University in Bangalore on April 14, were also tense after announcement of the re-exam.
Others, such as Class XII student Tisha Lawrence, have other fears. "Many of us feel that the re-examination of the paper would be tougher with more complicated questions. This has sent a chill down our spine," said Tisha.
A Class X student, who didn't want to be identified, echoed Tisha.
"I studied really hard for mathematics and I was happy that my paper had gone well," the student said. "It is unfair that I will have to take the mathematics paper again. Al this is CBSE's fault. They should have taken steps to plug leaks."
Notre Dame Academy teacher Abha Choudhary said the re-examinations would affect schools as well.
"The schedule for Class X, next admission, evaluation of the question papers, all of it will be hampered. Take for example the mathematics paper of Class X. Around 1.5 lakh students had appeared for the exam in the Bihar and Jharkhand region. Now after postponement of date, all this is going to be affected," said Choudhary.
Another teacher of a CBSE school, who spoke under cover of anonymity, said teachers were also not happy at the prospect of invigilation duty again. "Teachers hate being part of the invigilation process. An invigilator's job is a hectic one. But now due to the re-exams, teachers again have to play invigilators which they don't like," he said.
Super 30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar had a few suggestions for CBSE authorities to plug paper leaks.
"The authorities should make at least three sets of question papers and in case the paper is leaked five minutes before the commencement of an exam, the other question papers can be used," Anand said. He called the question paper leak episode "very unfortunate".
"The authorities should try to hunt down the mafia who are involved in the leak episode and strong punishment should follow so that there is no recurrence of such episodes," he added.
