Concerns about midterm exams are growing due to paper leaks

The state education authority’s new strategy aims to make improvements SSLC Results bring new challenges for parents and students; Private schools Conduct your own tests if questionnaires leak online

Given the recent half term SSLC examsAccording to reports, most of the schools conducted the exams as per the question paper provided by the board, but some private schools ignored this and conducted their own tests. This situation has raised concerns among parents and students alike.

The answer key has been leaked on social media
Many of the reputed pre-university (PU) colleges in the city have started reserving seats based on marks scored in the SSLC Intermediate examsParents are worried about their child’s future. Parents’ concern stems from the fact that all the answer sheets for the SSLC exams were released on social media platforms before the exams, which would result in some students appearing for the exam scoring better and students from private schools that did not sit for these exams could result in lower grades and risk losing places at top colleges.

Question papers were reportedly leaked on social media platforms four to five hours before each exam. Students were able to view these leaked papers daily, so they could easily prepare their answers when they arrived at school. Despite media reports highlighting the leaks, the board has failed to prevent them.

Frustrated by this situation, some private school managements stopped using the board’s question papers from the second day of the exams and opted to conduct their own tests using the materials prepared by their administration. They also announced that they would evaluate these tests and publish results based on them. “We don’t want to conduct exams based on leaked question papers. Therefore, some schools have decided to conduct tests using their own prepared question papers and we will evaluate these results,” said D. Shashikumar, general secretary, Karnataka Association of Management of Primary and Secondary Schools (KAMS).

As the exams were held from September 24 to 30, the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) conducted the SSLC Intermediate Exams 2024 at the board level for the first time. Around 8,000,000 students answered the exams and the questionnaire was distributed online. It is also noted that school managements have been against board-level examinations from the very beginning. Nevertheless, the board continued with the examinations.

Parents’ concerns
Regarding the admission situation, a parent said: “Some of the reputed PU colleges have allegedly created artificial demand by blocking seats even before the annual SSLC exams begin.” They use the marks in the half-yearly exams as their benchmark. This situation poses a challenge as students who sit for board exams are likely to achieve better results while those who sit for school-based exams may get lower grades. Parents are becoming increasingly concerned about this scenario.”

Board response to leaks, further measures
Given the paper leaks, the board shortened the time for distributing the questionnaires. Instead of sending the documents a day in advance, they were now sent just four hours before the exam. Additionally, complaints about the leaks have been lodged at police stations in Davanagere and Anekal, but no culprits have been identified yet. Despite the daily leaks, the board has not taken any decisive action. “Once the board prepares a questionnaire, all government curriculum schools will have to adhere to it. Schools cannot administer exams using their preferred methods. I will investigate this matter and take necessary action,” said KSEAB president N Manjushree.