Question paper distribution delayed

Students on Monday complained of a delay in distribution of English question papers of the CBSE standard XII examinations at a Kendra Vidyalaya here.

Many of the students complained that they could not attend all questions as they were denied the allotted time. Several students said that they were distributed question papers about 10 to 15 minutes late.

“The exam was to be conducted between 10.30 a.m. and 1.30 pm. The question papers should have been distributed at 10.15 a.m. so that we could read them fully. However, I got the question paper only at 10.35 a.m. I lost 20 minutes of crucial time, forcing me to leave a few questions unanswered,” said A.D. Niranjani, who wrote the examination at the KV-I at Ordnance Factory here.

“I got the question paper at 10.32 a.m. I could not attend all questions as I was denied the reading time. We were not given grace time to compensate for the delay,” said V. Amrita, who wrote in the same hall.

Some of the anxious parents and students lodged a complaint with the school administration.

Enquiries revealed that the examiners lost about 20 minutes while collecting question papers at a branch of a nationalised bank (Indian Bank) at the Ordnance Factory, where they were kept in a safe custody. When contacted, a senior official of the bank said that “heavy traffic” had delayed opening the safe drawer for a few minutes. However, school authorities maintained that question papers were given to students in time.

A. Devarajan, Niranjani’s father said the issue would affect the future of students as even a mark would make a huge difference. The matter has been brought to the notice of regional office of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan in Chennai. He demanded that a re-examination should be conducted for the affected students.