CBSE Class-10 exams: 33 maths answer sheets go missing

A day after a bundle containing 33 answer sheets of the Class 10 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) mathematics exam went missing from the Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 19, the school authorities said they would lodge an FIR in the case.

The school had received the papers from CBSE for checking.

GMSSS-19 principal Sanjay Kumar Walia, however, said , it was still not clear whether the papers went missing from the school premises or from the CBSE office. “As the CBSE replaces actual roll numbers from the answer sheets with fictitious ones, it cannot be ascertained which school or city these answer sheets belong to," he said.

Taking serious note of the matter, CBSE has directed the UT education department to conduct an inquiry.

The matter was referred to the UT education department after the school’s head examiner, Devinder Singh, reported that the answer sheets were missing.

The school gates were locked on Friday as CBSE officials arrived for investigations and checked bags in which the papers had been sent to the school.

Giving details, Walia said, “Around 11,000 answer sheets had reached the school on May 4 from the CBSE for checking. There were approximately 2,400 answer sheets of mathematics in it, besides those of Punjabi, social studies, economics and physical education. The answer sheets are not counted when these are handed over to the school authorities, but now we have leant that 33 sheets are missing."

The bags containing all the answer sheets were being reopened and the sheets in them being recounted, Walia said, adding, “we will also  lodge an FIR. This  has happened for the first time that answer sheets have gone missing in our school.”

The education department has constituted a three member committee to probe into the matter. Director school education (DSE), Rubinderjit Singh Brar, said, "Professor Dalip Kumar from Post Graduate Government College for Girls, Sector 42; Rajinder Kaur, deputy director, Adult Education and law officer Amandeep Kaur, will investigate the matter and file a report within 10 days."

CBSE regional officer RK Khaderao refused to comment on the issue.

The Class 10 mathematics exam was in the news earlier this years as question papers were leaked before the exam.