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PSEB exams begin today: Last-minute centre change sends Ludhiana private schools in tizzy
As per board rules, centres have to be within 7-km radius of the school; this hasn’t been ensured while allocating new centres
Private school authorities were left in a tizzy after the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) changed the examination centres for a Class-8 few students at the last minute. Schools got intimation regarding the same on Monday, a day before the start of the exams.
What’s irking them more is that the new centres are more than 10 to 15 kilometres away from their schools, which is against the board’s rule of allotting centres within a 7-kilometre radius.
As per information, the exam centre for over 101 Class-8 students of Decent Public School, New Shakti Nagar, has been shifted to Government Senior Secondary School, Kohara, Ramgarah, which is 15 km away from the school. Earlier, students of this school were allotted the SD Senior Secondary School, Trunk wala Bazaar, which is at a distance of 4km from the school.
School director Sunil Mehta said, “We have not sent any application to the board. Despite that the authorities have changed the exam centre and now we have to make arrangements for the students to reach the new centre.”
Authorities at SDD Model School, Tibba Road, say the centre for seven of their Class-8 students was shifted to Baba Shri Chand Public Secondary School, Adarsh Colony, Gobindgarh, which is 12 km away. They had earlier been alloted the Government Senior Secondary School, Division Number 3, which is 4km away from their school.
SEATING CAPACITY THE REASON
Sources in the education department said that the last-minute change was necessitated as the initial centres did not have enough seating capacity.
District education officer (secondary) Swaranjit Kaur, said, “The centres have been allotted by the board. If we receive any application from any school regarding the centre change owing to distance, we will inform the board.”
SUPTDs FAIL TO OPEN CENTRES DAY BEFORE EXAM
Superintendents of around 15 examination centres failed to show up at their centres till 2 pm on Monday. As per the PSEB rules, the centre superintendents are instructed to visit the centre at 11 am a day before exams to make seating plan of students and ensure other necessary arrangements.
It is learnt that the reason for the delay was that several teachers had asked for change of duty centres due to distance. Further, the district education department’s office has sent a list of 40 teachers to the board, requesting changes in their duties as many of them were on long medical leave, maternity leave, or set to retire on March 31.
A school principal, requesting anonymity, said, “I waited till 2pm for the centre superintendents, but nobody came. So, I informed the deputy district education officer (secondary) to ask the teachers concerned to report for duty. I was asked by the officer to open the centre with the help of deputy superintendent.”
DEO (secondary) Swaranjit Kaur said, “We have sent the list of genuine cases to the board and will inform the teachers as soon as we receive any confirmation.”
