Cheat sheets

Scene I:

An evaluator examining an answer-sheet of a graduate student is amused to find an examinee’s mobile number scribbled on the paper. He calls the number and the student answers to say that he could do anything to obtain good marks. The evaluator then asks him to get his mobile recharged with a Rs 250 coupon and then asks him, “How many marks do you want?” Then the student replies: “At least 50 marks sir.” Deal done, the student of Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University gets 50 marks in the History paper.

Scene II: A matriculate student has tagged a Rs 100 note with his answer-sheet pleading the examiner that since he had failed last year, “so please give me pass marks this time.” An unimpressed teacher, however, was not influenced by the money.

Scene III: A teenage girl, after writing her Plus-II examination papers, scribbled a special note to the evaluator to be a bit considerate while assessing her answer-sheet, as the poor marks could adversely affect her marriage prospects
 
From matriculation to graduation, examinees of all hues in interior Bihar are use various methods to grease the palms of their examiners. Fortunately, in a majority of cases, money is not effective enough to influence the marking. “It happens every year. Some students have this illusion that money can buy anything or everything. So they tag currency notes with the answer-copy to fetch more marks. But it’s not so. Certainly not in the age of RTI,” said a teacher, who did not wish to be identified.

“Teachers are too experienced to get carried away by the lure of lucre,” said another examiner, and added, “When you let money speak for you, it drains out anything else you mean to say.” These teachers were however candid enough to admit that the ‘free-money’ is used for snacks or tea at the evaluation centre.

The Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) chairman Mr AKP Yadav has also received reports about currency notes being tagged to the answer-copies. “It reflects the mindset of students these days. They believe they can manage anything through money. It is a dangerous trend, and should be discouraged by the teachers at the school-level itself,” the chairman opined.

However, he intends to act tough from next year onwards. “From next year, tagging notes to answer-sheets will prove counter-productive, as such students will be identified and, as a penal provision, their marks will be reduced.

After all, these students are showing disrespect towards their teachers’ integrity,” he avers and adds, “instructions have been issued that all such free-money be submitted to the board, and guilty students identified and punished, so that it serves as a deterrent to others.”

Is this the same Bihar where an examiner after evaluating the answer-sheet of Dr Rajendra Prasad, almost 109 years ago, wrote: “This examinee is better than the examiner.”