Polluting future pillars of society Probe the malaise deeper
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Something is rotten to the core and it is a pity that the Government does not seem to have any approach to deal with the malaise effectively. To many it is more than a case of the ‘unfortunate few’ getting caught and the matter coming to light, which leaves an open ended question, ‘How many cases of cheating have gone undetected ?’ Should Manipur be just satisfied with the law catching up with the few who are deemed to be directly involved in the case while conveniently turning a blind eye to the distinct possibility of a network in existence ? Has the Government or the authority concerned ever given some thought on the need to go deeper into the matter and try to crack the network in existence ? In a short span of time, the ongoing HSLC and HSSLC examinations are in the news for all the wrong reasons and while Manipur was coming to grips with the fact that the question paper of the Social Science subject of Class X was leaked just before the commencement of the exam on February 25, came the bombastic news of the question paper of the Class XII Physics getting leaked on March 3. A handful of teachers, all linked to the ongoing examinations by virtue of their profession, have been named and picked up, but is this the end of it all ? If the leaked question paper had not made it to the social media, would the matter have come to light at all ? The validity of this question should not be brushed aside and BOSEM and COHSEM should look into the matter with all the seriousness it deserves, for here is a case of question papers getting leaked before the commencement of the exams. And going through the social media chat between some of the students gives the uncomfortable thought that question leakage is not a new development and there could have been more. A chat between two friends and which has been spread goes like this, ‘Leiradi amukta tharak u,’ ‘Ngasidi ym thengida’. Just two lines have been taken out and the word given in italics and in bold should underline the point that there could have been cases of earlier leaks too for here is a case of comparison with earlier instances. The said chat too must have landed in the custody of the investigating agency and one hopes the probe goes deeper for here is a case of corrupt handling of things coming out in all its ugliness at a time of something as important and crucial as the Class X and Class XII board examinations.
Question paper leak for Class X detected on February 25 and another leak detected for Class XII on March 3 and even as this is being penned down, the examination committees of BOSEM and COHSEM are yet to take a final call. It is still not very clear why the two boards should be in two minds over whether re-exams for the two affected papers should be held, but it should be clear that the fate of the young students cannot be kept hanging in the balance. Inside job it is and all those in the media and in the education sector will recall how the picnic ambience that came along with every Matric and Class XII examinations were dealt with effectively not by the Government but by a proscribed organisation under its Operation New Kangleipak launched at the fag end of 2001. Old timers will recall how the pass percentage dropped drastically in the first year of the ONK being launched, driving home the point that numerous students, aided in no small measures by their ‘well wishers’ who may come in the form of elders of the family and the ‘sympathetic’ teachers, took the first most important exam as the ideal moment to cheat their way through. And so from students cheating their way through with mass copying, it has now come to the stage of question papers being leaked, with the leaked papers most probably coming with a quoted price. Something, somewhere is terribly wrong and one needs to crack down not just on the syndicate but also take one hard look at the morals being passed down to the young students for if students as young as those appearing for the matric exam do not hesitate in cheating, then one can imagine the pillars being prepared for the future.
Question paper leak for Class X detected on February 25 and another leak detected for Class XII on March 3 and even as this is being penned down, the examination committees of BOSEM and COHSEM are yet to take a final call. It is still not very clear why the two boards should be in two minds over whether re-exams for the two affected papers should be held, but it should be clear that the fate of the young students cannot be kept hanging in the balance. Inside job it is and all those in the media and in the education sector will recall how the picnic ambience that came along with every Matric and Class XII examinations were dealt with effectively not by the Government but by a proscribed organisation under its Operation New Kangleipak launched at the fag end of 2001. Old timers will recall how the pass percentage dropped drastically in the first year of the ONK being launched, driving home the point that numerous students, aided in no small measures by their ‘well wishers’ who may come in the form of elders of the family and the ‘sympathetic’ teachers, took the first most important exam as the ideal moment to cheat their way through. And so from students cheating their way through with mass copying, it has now come to the stage of question papers being leaked, with the leaked papers most probably coming with a quoted price. Something, somewhere is terribly wrong and one needs to crack down not just on the syndicate but also take one hard look at the morals being passed down to the young students for if students as young as those appearing for the matric exam do not hesitate in cheating, then one can imagine the pillars being prepared for the future.