CBSE may send question paper codes to centres just before exams

NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) won’t print question papers in advance but will send CDs to the exam centres, if the recommendations of a high-powered committee formed after the paper leaks this year are accepted by it and the human resource development (HRD) ministry.
The committee was set up by the ministry to examine the process by which CBSE conducts examinations and recommend measures to make the Boards leak-proof. Other recommendations include shortening of the exam schedule to four weeks and using advanced technology from next year. CBSE had come under attack after the economics paper for the Class XII exams was leaked in March 2018, affecting lakhs of students, followed by that of the Class X mathematics paper. While the board ordered re-examination for economics, it decided not to do so for maths.

The seven-member panel, headed by former HRD secretary Vinay Sheel Oberoi, is likely to recommend printing of question papers at the centres an hour ahead of the exams, said a member on the condition of anonymity. “Question paper CDs will be provided to the centres but they will get the passcode to access them just an hour before the exam,” he said. “By that time, entry and exit restrictions will be in place.” However, the board will have to take care of the issues such as malfunctioning of printers or their capacity to print a large number of papers in large centres, he added.

On Monday, HRD secretary Anil Swarup said, “Today, technology allows us to improve the situation. And we have to see that it (paper leak) is not repeated, keeping in mind that there are smarter people. From next year, it will be our endeavour to ensure that there is no such leak.” A senior CBSE official said, “These technologies are available and CBSE can implement. However, it’s too premature to comment.”

Another suggestion discussed by the committee is to complete the exam within four weeks. The plan is to conduct the tests of multiple subjects on a single day where the number of students are low and not common. “This is likely to reduce the period by around 10 days,” said a member. Other suggestions include doubly encrypting question papers and their centre-specific water marking, which, in case of leak, will help identify the source.