Maharashtra: HSC exam cheats may be debarred for 3 to 5 years

Fifty-eight students, who were caught cheating in the recently held Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination, could be debarred from reappearing for three to five years. The punishment was proposed by an inquiry committee in its report submitted to the Mumbai division of the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE).

The report said the severity of the punishment would be based on the nature of the offence. While students carrying mobile phones inside exam halls have been debarred for five years in the past, it is the first time that students caught copying could face punishment of up to three years.

Till last year, these students were not allowed to reappear for a year.

In 2017, 18 HSC and SSC students, who were caught with mobile phones, were debarred from appearing for the exam for five years; and another 42 HSC and SSC students, who were found copying, were not allowed to reappear for the exam in July.

“This year, 57 students were caught copying, while one was carrying his mobile phone, with study material on it, in the exam hall,” said a MSBSHSE official. “While some of them will not be allowed to reappear for a year, others may be debarred for three years.”

The students were called in for individual hearings at the Vashi office of the board in the first week of April.

Those who missed the first hearing were given another chance to defend their cases and submit a written statement this month.

The students will know the quantum of their punishments when the HSC result is announced. “The board, this year, put together more groups of experts that acted as flying squads and visited exam centres regularly. No form of malpractices will be tolerated and the board is trying to send a clear message to students,” said another official. While students and parents called the proposed punishment “very harsh”, experts said it will act be a deterrent.

“The decision of the board might seem harsh, but in today’s tech-savvy times, students find newer ways to cheat and that can’t be allowed,” said Dinesh Panjwani, principal, RD National College, Bandra. “The fact that number of cheating cases has gone up shows the problem exists and the board needs to send out a stern message to students.”