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Mass copying in Class 12 physics exam detected at Pune school; 9 teachers booked
Incident took place at Jawahar Junior College, Kedgaon, Daund. Flying squad head Kisan Bhujbal registered the FIR late on Monday
The Pune rural police have booked nine invigilators, including an exam centre head, for aiding and abetting mass cheating during the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) board exam at Jawahar Junior College, Kedgaon, Daund. The accused have been identified as Jalindar Narayan Kate, Raosaheb Shamrao Bhamre, Prakash Kuchekar, Vikas Divekar, Shyam Gorgal, Kavita Kashid, Jayashree Gawali, Surekha Hone, and Abhay Sonanwar.
According to a complaint filed by Kisan Dattoba Bhujbal, head of the Zilla Parishad (ZP) flying squad, when his squad comprising Ratnaprabha Rajendra Potdar and Jagganath Subhan Pawara paid a surprise visit to Jawahar Junior College Class 12 board exam centre number 193 during the Physics 1 exam, they found that the exam centre director Kate was missing and that exam centre deputy director Bhamre was leading the team of invigilators in his place.
According to Bhujbal, they caught two students copying and found copying material including chits and photocopies of books and guides dumped in the classrooms at the centre. The squad found the invigilators - Kuchekar, Divekar, Gorgal, Kashid, Gawali, Hone, and Sonanwar - not doing their job and allowing students to carry the copying material inside the exam halls instead.
Bhujbal said, “The exam centre director was absent which is not acceptable. While others had been assigned the task of checking students for copying material before entering the exam premises, copying material was still found on such a large scale at the exam centre. It indicates that they allowed the students to carry copying material inside the exam halls.”
On his part, ZP Pune chief executive officer (CEO) Ayush Prasad said that the Pune ZP’s flying squad had detected a case of mass copying at Kedgaon, Daund. “We have filed an FIR against persons suspected to have aided and abetted mass cheating in the Class 12 board examination. We have seized and handed over the cheating material to the police. An FIR has been filed under the said law for the first time since its enactment in 2016,” Prasad said.
“The Pune ZP has coordinated with the police department and municipal corporations to strictly enforce the ‘copy mukt abhiyan’ of the state government. We have also been providing study material, exam paper analysis and testing material to schools. We have held several rounds of meetings with schools to help improve their academic performance,” Prasad said.
Prasad further informed that the Pune ZP had conducted online training of all 15,000 invigilators during which time he had given them clear instructions not to tolerate copying incidents. He had also conducted ‘in-person’ training of nearly 500 exam centre heads and briefed them about the ‘copy mukt abhiyan’. He had warned them of strict action if they were found aiding any cheating.
Sharad Gosavi, chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) said, “As a part of our action, concerned teachers and students were called at divisional board office for the inquiry purpose.The detailed report of the inquiry to be submitted to executive committee and committee will take decision about it. In such cases, if teachers are found guilty, then board will ask the concerned educational institute to take action against the teacher.’’
Whereas a senior official from the Pune ZP said that in this particular case of copying, a photocopy operator had informed the ZP officials about an increase in the demand for miniature guides and books following which the ZP flying squad had raided the exam centre. The ZP Pune had also informed the state board about the alleged mass copying incident so that the state board officials would take necessary action.
Hemant Shedge, senior police inspector, Yavat police station, said, “As per the complaint filed by the officials from the Pune ZP, we have registered a case against nine persons and the process of recording their statements will start soon.”
Meanwhile, state board secretary Anuradha Oak told Hindustan Times, “First, we have to check if it is really a mass copying incident or an individual copying incident. Because if it is mass copying, the answers written by all the students will be identical. We have to first check for the same and then, necessary action will be taken as per the rules.”
A case has been registered at Yavat police station under section 8 of the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices at University, Board and Other Specified Exams Act, 1982, and further investigation is underway.
