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Class 10 geography exam to be conducted as scheduled despite theft: MSBSHSE
“The examination will not be cancelled and will be held as per schedule. If the intent was to leak the paper, taking all 50 copies does not make sense. There is no need for students or parents to panic,” MSBSHSE chairman Trigun Kulkarni said.
PUNE: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) on Tuesday assured students and parents that the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) or class 10 geography board examination will be conducted as scheduled despite the theft of 50 question papers from a strong room at Sangola Vidya Mandir, Solapur district.
MSBSHSE chairman Trigun Kulkarni told Hindustan Times, “Prima facie, the incident appears to be linked to local internal issues. Our divisional officer is at the spot. While the CCTV cameras inside the campus were not functional, we are examining footage from cameras on the road outside the premises.”
“The examination will not be cancelled and will be held as per schedule. If the intent was to leak the paper, taking all 50 copies does not make sense. There is no need for students or parents to panic,” Kulkarni said.
The theft came to light Tuesday morning when the staff along with the custodian went to the strong room at Sangola Vidya Mandir to dispatch the examination papers of the previous day. They found the strong room lock broken, pointing to a likely break-in during the night. Subsequently, they found that two packets containing around 50 geography question papers were missing. The theft triggered anxiety among students and parents, with speculation on social media about possible cancellation or rescheduling of the exam.
Board officials said that alternative arrangements have been made to ensure smooth conduct of the examination, and additional security measures have been put in place. Students have been advised to report to their centres on time and follow the board guidelines, even as the police investigation continues.
Audumbar Ukirde, Chairman of the Pune Divisional Board, told HT, “We took immediate cognisance of the incident and conducted an on-site inspection today. It is a serious lapse that the strong room did not have CCTV surveillance. However, footage from a nearby shop has helped us identify a student allegedly carrying the question papers. A detailed police investigation is underway. Strict action has been initiated, and the centre head along with the block education officer have been suspended for negligence.”
