Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 18

The result of National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), declared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCSERT) recently, has stirred a controversy.

While hundreds of students could not get their result due to technical glitches, many others are not satisfied with it and are approaching the SCSERT, demanding rechecking of their answersheets.

OMR sheet error

The ‘mistakes’ in preparing the results were due to improper filling of OMR sheets. As an OMR sheet is evaluated by computer, any minor mistake in filling it creates problems. Prabhjot Kaur, NTSE nodal officer

After rechecking, majority of the students have got an increase of 200 to 300 per cent marks. Aayush Dhingra of Faridkot scored only 37 out of the total 200 marks. He approached the SCERT for rechecking and the marks were increased to 159. Goyam Jain’s marks were also increased from 52 to 160 after rechecking. There are dozens of such students in Faridkot and their number is much higher in the state.

Around 40,000 Class X students in the state had appeared in the NTSE, conducted by the SCERT on December 20, 2020. The result, which is usually declared within 40-45 days after the exam, was declared on June 21 after a delay of around five months.

Prabhjot Kaur, SCERT Deputy Director and NTSE nodal officer, said the “mistakes” in preparing the results were due to improper filling of OMR (optical mark recognition), which are used as answersheets. As the OMR sheets were evaluated by the computer, any minor mistake in filling the sheet creates problems. “We are re-evaluating the answersheets manually in cases where the students have approached us,” she said, adding: “We are also going for proper training of invigilators in the NTSE exams to avoid such mistakes in future.”