Srinagar, Nov 7: As if State Institute of Education was knowing the candidates who had access to “leaked” question papers for class 8th ongoing exams that the SIE on Sunday gave a fresh set of “tough” papers at some selected centers in the City while the others elsewhere were given the “easy, out lot”.

OUT-OF-SLUMBER
 Following the reports of class 8th exam papers being sold in open markets in Kashmir, the SIE finally woke to the issue when only the last two papers are left.
 But in the apparent face saving it did a Jaspal Bhatti.
 Expect for a few centers in the City where a fresh paper for Science subject was given to appearing candidates, the candidates in rest of the centers across Kashmir appeared for the question paper which was already allegedly out.

THE COMPLAINTS
 Greater Kashmir received complaints from some exam centres like Kothi Bagh Higher Secondary School and SP School that the candidates were given a new question paper which as “too tough for the candidates to appear in”.
 A superintendent at Kothi Bagh school confirmed that the paper was “tough” adding that some of the students started crying on going through the exam paper.
 “My daughter fainted in the exam centre and I was called on phone to take her to a doctor,” said a parent, HF Hussain.
 He said his daughter could barely appear in a question as the paper was too tough for her age.
 “This is sheer injustice. Why are our children being victimized when others appeared in the easy paper which was already out for all,” Hussain argued.
 A delegation of such furious lot which came to Greater Kashmir office accused the authorities of playing with the career of the students.

‘FLOP SHOW PAPER’
 The Science paper being “tough” wasn’t the only thing chaotic for students. There were some apparent mistakes in the question paper and some misprints as well. A copy of the paper lies with Greater Kashmir.
 Take the case of long answer type questions. The students were asked to reply in 80 to 100 words.
 But interestingly the word length of the questions was close to the length of answers sought.
 Take the 60 word long question No 2. Its first half, as per superintending staff, had no relevance with the question which goes like this:
 “Man has depended on plants for food from the very early days. Newer methods were being used to be practiced. As civilization progressed, improvement has been made in our agricultural methods to satisfy the need of food for millions. Name the Major cereals grown in our country. Also name such types in plants which are used to extract oil for cooking?”
 The option for the question again looks confusing. It asks: We domesticate animals and rear some insects for use in our daily life to be caked as useful animals and insects. Name smaller animals and insects that we use to satisfy our needs?
 An exam superintendent at Government School Amira Kadal said the paper looked like the mockery in famous Mad Tea Party story from the kids bestseller Alice in the Wonderland. “They have asked the students to solve a ridiculous riddle: Why does a crow look like a desk? There’s no  reply to the riddle much like the Science Paper,” the superintendent argued.

THE LEAK
 Pertinently, there have been frequent complaints that the class 8th papers are being sold in open markets at throw away prices while eye-brows are being raised over the officials SIE officials dealing with the question papers.
 A senior police official posted in Shahr-e-Khaas confirmed that similar reports had poured into his office.
 “We received specific complaints that the papers were being Xeroxed here and then distributed… We are looking into the matter,” the official said.

PARENTS WORRIED
 The parent community is worried about the performance of their wards.
 “How can you judge the performance of a intelligent and hardworking student when the paper is already out for all?,” argued a parent, a teacher by profession.
 When contacted the SIE Principal confirmed that the papers had been “replaced at some places due to apprehensions of paper leakage.”
 But she said the papers weren’t tough.
 “The papers were very much within the examination pattern as was already notified through newspapers,” she said.
 “It was as per the T2 pattern as prescribed,” she said.
 Meanwhile, officials in Directorate of School Education Kashmir said the new lot of paper was distributed in some 20 centers in the City.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 7 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 8 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST