Access to answer sheet copies is of no real help

Nikhil Prakash (name changed) was among the first group of students this year to apply to see photocopies of his Class 10 board exam answer sheets, thanks to a Supreme Court (SC) ruling last August.

Nikhil Prakash (name changed) was among the first group of students this year to apply to see photocopies of his Class 10 board exam answer sheets, thanks to a Supreme Court (SC) ruling last August.

However, the right to information has instead turned into cruel irony for Prakash, 15, who can only see the marks he should have got. When he applied to the board pointing out what he claims were errors in correcting his English and Maths papers, it led nowhere.

The SC ruling last year said that all exam answer sheets should be accessible through the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

“We were shocked by his marks,” said his father. “His teachers said he should have got more marks. However, when we contacted the board they said they couldn’t do anything.”

Board officials at the Mumbai division office said that they had received around 12 to 15 complaints from students asking for their papers to be re-evaluated after they saw their photocopies.

“If there were errors in totalling or some parts had been un-assessed we rectified these. However, according to the current policy, re-evaluation is not possible,” said RR Bhise, Mumbai division secretary.

Several students and schools have pointed out that instead of being a useful tool towards helping students get the marks they deserve, students can only see the board’s errors.

“What is the use if the marks can’t be changed?” questioned Nirmala Nair, a teacher at Sacred Heart School, Vashi. “Students are very unhappy.”

At St Xavier’s Boys’ Academy, Marine Lines, two students applied for photocopies, and one had complaints. “It doesn’t make sense asking for a photocopy without applying for re-evaluation at the same time,” said Savio D’Mello, vice-principal at the school.

The board had earlier sent out a circular to schools telling examiners to be especially careful this time while correcting answer sheets.

At its next meeting in August, the board will look at complaints from students and assess the situation.

“We are working on it for next year,” said S Jadhav, chairperson of the state board. “Often these things can be subjective but there are some genuine cases too.”