If the performance of the colleges that were disaffiliated in connection with the leakage of II PU question papers is any indication, there is every reason to believe that a well-established racket may be behind the incident.
The Department of Pre-University Education (DPUE) disaffiliated four private colleges — Venkatadri PU College, Royal PU College, Pragati PU College (all in Chintamani), and Shantiniketan PU College, Chickaballapur — for their alleged role in the incident. Simultaneously, 14 lecturers were suspended for allegedly selling the question papers to students.
Now, investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department and the City Crime Branch police have revealed that those behind the incident had been in this business for quite some time.
For, there is a steady improvement in the performance of these colleges in terms of strength of the students and the pass percentages in science subjects, from 2007 to 2011.
The pass percentage hovers around 90 per cent, while enrolments have doubled. In some cases, they have even increased by five times, data for which is available on the DPUE website.
Sample this: at Venkatadri PU College, the number of candidates who appeared for physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology exams in 2011 was 377 each, while in 2007, it was 179. The pass percentage in physics in 2011 was 100 per cent.
In Shantiniketan PU College, Chickballapur, data is available only for the 2011 exams. In biology and physics, the 46 candidates who appeared have all cleared the exam.
Sources pointed out that the question paper leak may be even linked to the Common Entrance Test (CET), as II PU marks are given 50 per cent weightage in the CET.
