Retest for leaked CBSE maths paper unlikely

NEW DELHI: There may not be a re-test for the leaked CBSE maths paper even in Delhi-NCR and Haryana as the board and HRD ministry officials are veering to the view that the leak will not significantly impact the examination and the overall result even though action against those responsible for the breach will be pursued vigorously.
Though the CBSE will take a final decision shortly, evidence gathered by the police and the board so far does not point to a widespread leak and efforts are on to evaluate whether lakhs of students need to take the exam afresh. As things stand, it is likely that even Delhi-NCR and Haryana students - as was being considered - may not need to appear for a re-test.

A well-placed source said a rigorous analysis will be conducted to check unusual variations in marks in the coming days to zero in on centres where answer sheets indicate a leak. "If a student has done poorly in internal assessment and does exceptionally well in the main paper and this is at variance with his other papers - then we might examine the result more carefully," said the source.

The view in the HRD ministry is that the leak, despite reports of arrests in Jharkhand, was not as widespread as has been apprehended. The Class X examination, being a qualifying one for higher secondary, rather than for admission to colleges and universities as in the case of Class XII, could be treated differently. "If it is not absolutely essential, why impose a re-test?" the source asked.

However, while the board may soon announce that there will be no retest for Class X maths, investigations against erring officials and their collaborators in coaching institutes and schools will be taken up to reduce the possibility of breaches in future. The government hopes that a new testing authority will also improve the sanctity of examinations conducted on a national scale.

The ministry and the board are waiting for "some more evidence" before making an announcement, said the source. The alleged circulation of the maths paper in Jharkhand is being examined to see whether the leak actually happened the day before the exam or on the morning of the test. Meanwhile, the board has been scanning several claims and images of allegedly leaked papers but has not been able to confirm any beyond the Class XII economics and Class X maths papers.

On March 28, the Class X maths paper was conducted but its copies were doing the rounds on social media a day ahead of the exam and it was even forwarded to CBSE officials late on the previous night by email. As reported by TOI on March 29, the leaked paper was sent to the office of the CBSE chairperson. It was, however, only seen on the morning of March 28 having arrived at 1.29 am. It needed some time for a confirmation and it would have been chaotic to scrap the exam at a time when students began arriving at examination halls, officials said.

On Friday, school education secretary Anil Swarup said if at all a re-exam was needed, it would only be for Delhi-NCR and Haryana as the leaks were restricted. Two days after that announcement and further investigation, according to sources, the scale of the leaks have been found to be "very restricted" and would not have any largescale and serious impact on the results.

"There are mechanisms to evaluate unusual pattern and the board has narrowed down on centres where it needs to look for trends of unusually high marks," said an exam branch officer of CBSE on condition of anonymity. "The board has been consistent right from the start that whatever decision will be taken will be in the interest of the students. Therefore, given the evidence with the board, there is unlikely there will be any retest for the maths paper," the officer added.