Mumbai: In a bid to eliminate paper leaks, college examinations in the city will soon be conducted like the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams.
At the MPSC examinations, question papers are ‘unsealed’ by the supervisor at the examination house, minutes before the exams start unlike the regular college exams where the question papers are arranged, slotted and distributed a hour before the examination by the non-teaching staff, supervisors or any other middle man before actually reaching the students.
Stating that it was the staff and not students who were to blame for the recent paper leaks, education minister Vinod Tawde said, “If you see all the question papers leaks that have hit the city, you will see the papers floating on sites and in students’ possession. But, how do students get the copy an hour before the examination when they are unsealed by staffers at the exact hour? This means the staffers have a part to play and not the students.”
Mr Tawde was also sceptical about the use of closed-circuit television cameras to foil leaks. “CCTV cameras won’t prevent leaks. We have to find smart ways to curb them. The non-teaching staff and middle men are involved in the process (where the question papers are unsealed, slotted and distributed). So they should be kept out of this,” he said.
On November 16, BCom papers were leaked on a social media site. The Amboli Police arrested 11 students, who were later produced before a magistrate court. However, they were released on bail. In March, a similar incident occurred in Navi Mumbai where HSC papers were leaked online.
