Goa Board fines 2 for cheating using mobile phones

PANAJI: During the conduct of the Class XII public exams, Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education found mobile phones being used by two different students for cheating. This is the first such case in the state of cheating using the electronic devices. Both students have been fined Rs 1,000 each, after an inquiry. Their marksheets will also carry a remark that they indulged in a ‘malpractice’.
“In both cases, the students were also given zero marks in the subject they were found committing the malpractice. The modus operandi was to report late for the examination so they could enter the hall in a hurry and the frisking could not be done properly. Otherwise, invigilators make sure mobile phones are kept out before the exam begins,” said Goa Board chairman Bhagirath Shetye.
The two students found guilty of malpractices will be placed under ‘needs improvement’ category due the zero marks allotted to them in the subject, he said. Shetye said the board is yet to decide if the students will be allowed to sit for the supplementary exam. The students will have to appeal to the Board committee, based on which the case will be considered, he said.
In the first case, the candidate was found with a chit with 50 mathematics formulae written on it, besides being in possession of a phone, where the student was using Google and Whatsapp messages to get answers. “Supervisors could catch the student when the exam was on and there is camera evidence. The students also admitted to mischief,” Shetye said.
In the second case, the student also carried a mobile phone into the examination hall and was sourcing answers via Whatsapp.
Written material was found on the hall ticket itself of a third student. “This was discovered much before the exam could begin and this was found by our deputy conductor. In this case, the Board committee summoned the student and took the statement and a warning letter was issued with a copy marked to the principal of the student’s school,” Shetye said.
In a fourth case, the student was found to have used black ink to write the exam, which is prohibited