Jammu: Even as the government is in deep dilemma over headless Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE), complaints of mass cheating from several city centers where annual examinations for 10th, 11th, and 12th standards are underway has left students high and dry.
Many aggrieved students has termed this patronized mass copying in centers as mockery of examination system. For last 5 years we never heard about this menace in our J&K and if it suddenly re-surfaced its ugly head on such a large scale then something seriously afflicting our education system. This is prevailing state of affairs in city centers and imagine what is happening in rural and far-flung locations, avers a group of aggrieved students.
Narrating a free-for-all situation in one of the center at Government Higher Secondary School, Canal Road, several candidates told JK Global News, “Students are using mobile phones for cheating, and worse, those deployed to prevent malpractices are themselves helping the cheaters by narrating answers to multiple-choice questions openly in the center.”
“Looking at the state of affairs prevailing inside the examination centre at GHSS, Canal Road it appears there is no sanctity of examinations conducted by JKBOSE”, rue a female student of humanity stream who appeared for History paper on Friday.
Similar complaints also poured in from various examination centers where aggrieved students blamed the state education department as well as JKBOSE for their failure to curb the menace of cheating to ensure a fair assessment of academic learning.
“Teachers are torch bearers of society and played significant role in Nation building. However, it is disgusting to see a section of them are encouraging malpractices in examinations and bringing disrespect to the profession of teaching”, complained another students who appeared in examination center at Govt Hari Singh High School.
Many in the state education department attributed this prevalence of mass cheating in board examinations due to fluid situation prevailing over the status of Chairman, JKBOSE. The 2-year tenure as well as the one-month extension of incumbent Chairman Dr. Parikshit Singh Manhas has expired on February 23rd. Since then, the crucial examination conducting body is lying headless as the state neither extended the term nor handed over the charge to any senior officer till the appointment of the new chairman. “This fluid situation has caused chaos in JKBOSE, where everyone acts as per his own whims and fancies sans accountability,” said an insider, preferring anonymity”, adding, “We are aware of the complaints about lawlessness prevailing in several examination centers, but no one is ready to take preventive measures, citing the non-availability of orders from the top chair.”
Further blaming the government for chaos due to the vacant post of JKBOSE Chairman at the crucial time of examinations, another officer said that under the tenure of Dr. Manhas, the JKBOSE has successfully eliminated the menace of cheating in examinations, but it is sad to see that the same has reemerged with a big bang and the government is sitting silent over it. Even, there is no serious taker for the directive of the Education Department, which has stressed upon all the officers to act sternly against those encouraging copying in examination centers.
Repeated efforts to seek a response from Commissioner-Secretary Education department on the issue failed to materialize. We will update the story with a response as and when the officer remains available.
JK Global News Take : Leaving JKBOSE headless at crucial time of examinations reflects lackadaisical approach of government. Equally questionable is the role of Flying squads comprising JKBOSE officers and officials constituted to check cheating in examination centers. Patronizing cheating in examinations is not expected from teachers who are considered as torch bearer of society and involved in shaping the values and character of students. A corrupt teacher is a cancer for society. The government must identified black sheeps in education department and initiate action for compromising sanctity of examinations.