Following the overlap of questions in the SSLC maths examination, the Education Department is considering a proposal to go in for a software-based system to finalise questions. “Some experts have suggested that we go in for a software-based system,” K.V. Mohan Kumar, Director of Public Instruction (DPI), told The Hindu .
“Thousands of questions in different patterns will be collected from teachers across the State on each subject. The software will club them and finalise the question paper.”
As of now, the DPI said, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) submits a list of teachers to the Education Department. A panel comprising four teachers and a chairman is selected to prepare the question paper in each subject.
Random selection
Four sets of question papers are submitted to the DPI, who randomly selects question papers for the model and main examinations.
Mr. Mohan Kumar asserted that the department would ensure that question papers were not leaked.
Education experts, however, say that only by strict enforcement of rules, leaks and overlap of questions could be avoided.
A senior official in the SCERT said, “The government order appointing teachers to the panel clearly says that they are not supposed to discuss the subject with anyone else.
“It should be ensured that no close relative of the question setter is writing the exam. It seems these provisions were violated this year,” he says.
As per rule, the question paper set by a member is accessible only to that person and the chairman. “To ensure that the question paper is not leaked, the process can be made more secretive,” the official said.
K. Narayanan, retired teacher and former chairman of the panel to set Malayalam question papers for the SSLC equivalency exam, said that ensuring secrecy was the only way to avoid leakage.
Penalty
“If the government announces strict penalty for those who leak question papers, the problem can be avoided to some extent. Only senior teachers should be included on the panel. There should be a blueprint for the question paper. I presume there was none for the paper that got leaked,” he said.
Another point the SCERT official stressed was the lack of student-centric approach in some question papers.
“For example, the question paper for the mathematics exam scheduled to be held again on Thursday was not prepared keeping the student in mind. There was no scientific planning involved in preparing it. It was not considered whether the students will be able to answer the question within the stipulated time,” he added.
