Experts blame increasing cases of cheating on offline exam anxiety

Nearly 180 cases of copying and cheating have been reported since March 4, with at least ten cases of imposters posing as students being caught during exams.

Mumbai: Students with mobile phones, question papers leaked on social sites, imposters posing as students are among the problems that the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Examinations (MSBSHSE) faces every year, but the number of cases reported this year has left many worried. Nearly 180 cases of copying and cheating have been reported since March 4, with at least ten cases of imposters posing as students being caught during exams.

HSC exams commenced on March 4 and will go on till April 4. (Kuldeep Rana/HT Photo)

HSC exams commenced on March 4 and will go on till April 4. As per the information shared by MSBSHSE, nearly 180 cases of copying and cheating have been reported across nine divisions in Maharashtra within the first week. At least two cases of paper leaks have been reported as well. The state board, on both occasions, clarified that the question paper was made available on WhatsApp only once the exam started.

“HSC exams are conducted over a month and in 2019, total copying cases registered for HSC exams in the state stood at 230. Looking at the high number of cheating cases reported in the first few days itself, this year, we might record double the number of cases, if not more,” said an official from the Mumbai division of the Maharashtra state board, on condition of anonymity.

Anxiety amongst students appearing for a physical exam after nearly two years is one of the top reasons for the increase in cheating cases. Principals, as well as experts, have also attributed this trend to the fact that students are appearing for their board exams in their respective schools and junior colleges this year as opposed to an allotted centre.

“One of the biggest causes for the high number of copying and cheating this year is that students are appearing for their exams in their school. The board has made it clear that subject teachers should not be allowed to invigilate on the day of their subject exam, but looks like cheating cases are still cropping up across the state,” said Sangeeta Srivastava, principal, TP Bhatia College of Science, Kandivali.

Punishment for those caught cheating includes paying a fine to the board as well as being debarred from appearing for the exams anywhere between one to five years. The severity of punishment is based on the degree of guilt, as observed by a state board inquiry committee.

In 2014, a high number of cheating cases were reported across several divisions, especially Latur, Aurangabad and Amravati which led to the formation of ‘flying squads’. These squads, set up across the nine divisions of the state board, would conduct surprise vigilance checks. By 2018, the state board also increased the degree of punishment.

In 2018, nearly 58 students were caught cheating and copying during the HSC examinations in the Mumbai division itself, and the state board conducted inquiry committees for individual cases. Of these, 52 students were proven guilty as most students were caught red-handed with mobile phones in the examination hall. As a punishment, the state board did not allow these 52 students to appear for board exams for three subsequent examination sessions.

“The state board decided to go lenient about exam centres to make the examination session less cumbersome for students. Other than flying squads, we have also put in place seating squads who will be sitting in exam centres without the knowledge of exam invigilators or students to curb this rising trend. Students should be aware of the consequences of being caught cheating by their respective schools,” said a senior official from MSBSHSE.