Varsity committee says paper-setting process was faulty

The paper setting process for one of the engineering papers that was leaked was fraught with problems, a university-appointed committee’s report has said.

The paper setting process for one of the engineering papers that was leaked was fraught with problems, a university-appointed committee’s report has said. The committee was appointed to look into the paper setting and examination process following allegations that two papers had leaked. The report has been submitted to the university and will be discussed at the Board of Examinations meeting on Friday.

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The committee, while going into the details of how the leaked Basic Electrical and Electronics Engineering (BEEE) paper was set, found that paper setters knew beforehand that the paper they had set would be used for the exam. This was made obvious by the fact that the university had asked them to be on campus in case any queries arose. The usual practice is for the chairperson of the committee to be present to answer doubts. Paper setters are meant to know that theirs will be the one used.

“This becomes a vulnerable situation,” said Madhu Paranjape, who headed the committee that submitted the report.

Further, instead of paper setters sitting together as a team to set the paper, each paper setter for the BEEE paper set it on their own, unlike in other faculties. University officials said the technology faculty had for several years been allowing paper setters to set a paper each, on their own, and not necessarily on the campus. Further, that certain paper setters in the technology faculty were favoured over others.

“When there are so many reputed teachers in well-known colleges, why are obscure paper setters picked?” said one engineering college principal.