CBSE class 12 exam: students complain of insufficient time

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Parents of 20 students of class 12 at the Sasraswathy Vidyalaya here have complained to the regional officer of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Chennai, that their wards were not given the stipulated three hours to write the physics paper of the All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) held on March 3.

These 20 students�along with their schoolmates�had written the examination at the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pangode. As per CBSE guidelines students do not write these examinations in their own school.

The complaint points out that the examination is supposed to begin at 10.30 a.m. and end at 1.30 p.m. The students are permitted to read the question paper from 10.15 to 10.30. However, the distribution of question papers in hall nine at KV Pangode began only at 10.30 a.m. There was also a delay due to a mix up in the distribution of question papers. The students started writing the examination only by 10.50 a.m., the complaint alleges.

The students expressed their grievance about the lost time to the invigilator who, however, did not pay any heed to them, the complaint alleges. At 1.30 p.m. when the final bell rang, he forcibly took away the answer sheets �in spite of their desperate request for getting their lost time compensated,� the complaint reads. A detailed inquiry should be conducted into the incident to ensure that justice is done to the students, the complaint says.

The officiating Principal of KV Pangode Uma Sivaraman told The Hindu that the guidelines of the CBSE relating to the distribution of question papers were followed meticulously in all the examination halls. �There was no deviation from these guidelines at any point of time,� she said.

Principal of Saraswathy Vidyalaya Gouri Nayar said here that she had received the complaint signed by 20 parents and that she would forward it to the regional officer.