Bengal school headmaster suspended for leaking board question papers

KOLKATA: The headmaster of a high school in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district has been suspended for "leaking the question papers" of the state-run Madhyamik (Secondary) examination earlier this year, authorities announced on Thursday.

The matter came to light in March after two assistant teachers of Subhashnagar High School in Maynaguri complained that headmaster Haridyal Roy had opened the sealed question paper packets ahead of scheduled time and got answers prepared by the respective subject teachers. The answers were then handed over to a school boy.

One of the teachers had even videographed the headmaster opening the packets ahead of time.

"We are suspending the headmaster, the disciplinary proceeding will be continued against him and the English teacher, Bishwajit Rai who had done videography in the strong-room," said West Bengal Board of Secondary Education President Kalyanmoy Ganguly on Thursday.

After the matter surfaced in March, the WBBSE had ordered a detailed investigation, and the report was submitted some time back.

The investigation revealed that the sealed question paper packets were opened well ahead of scheduled time on each day of the Madhyamik examination.

The WBBSE also said action was being taken other teachers and examiners who were involved.

"The additional venue supervisor ... will also face disciplinary proceedings, the history teacher ... is being given a strict warning for changing his statements," Ganguly added.

According to him, the Sub-Inspector of schools had given unverified statements.

The Education Department has slapped a 'show cause' on Bhaumik for disclosing the matter of 'question leak' without being able to produce any documents.

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee backed the decisions.

"Our department has agreed with the reports submitted and the steps suggested by the West Bengal Secondary Department regarding the accused principal and teachers. I had just suggested them to implement those after the declaration of the result," he said.

"I strongly believe that a headmaster cannot deny his responsibility," he said.