How middle school teachers evaluated Xth answer books? HC asks Bihar Board

The Patna High Court on Wednesday took strong exception to a report that several teachers of Class VIIth and VIIIth were hired to evaluate the answer books of matriculation examinees who appeared for Class Xth board in Bihar this year.

While hearing a writ petition filed by an aggrieved parent Ram Pukar Yadav, the single bench of Justice Chakradhari Saran Singh issued notice to the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), which conducts matriculation examination in the State, and asked it to submit its reply to the High Court within a week.

The result of the matric examination is slated to be declared later this month. The petitioner pleaded before the HC that due to the teachers’ strike, the BSEB engaged incompetent secondary school teachers of Class VII and VIIth to evaluate the answer books of matriculation examinees.

“Due to strike by contractual teachers, the BSEB engaged teachers of middle school, who mostly taught students of Class VIIth and VIIIth, and were thus not qualified enough to evaluate Class Xth answer books,” said Rajendra Prasad Singh, the senior lawyer, arguing on behalf of the petitioner. He pleaded that the answer book of the petitioner’s daughter be re-evaluated by a competent person before the result was announced.

According to the rules, only those teachers who have atleast three years of experience teaching students of Class Xth or XIIth can evaluate the answer book of matriculation examinees.

The board, however, maintained that the apprehension of the petitioner was unfounded and “the board does not have any specific directive about who all are eligible to evaluate such answer book.”

Justice Singh then asked the BSEB to submit a detailed reply on May 8, the day when the High Court will hear the matter next.

It is worth mentioning here that BSEB had hit the national headlines last year when the Bihar Intermediate toppers were found to be fake and undeserving candidates. While the three ‘toppers’ Ruby Rai, Saurabh and Rahul Kumar were arrested, the then chairman of the BSEB Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh is still cooling his heels behind bars.