Rohtak varsity introduces barcoded answer sheets to foil exam scams
In a major step to enhance the integrity of its examination system, Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak (UHSR), has decided to introduce barcoded answer sheets for all annual and supplementary examinations of the MBBS course. The move follows a recent exam scam involving manipulation of answer sheets.
About the MBBS scam
The MBBS exam scam involved students rewriting their answer sheets outside the university campus. A video, submitted by a MBBS student, exposed the malpractice. The footage shows students seated on beds and chairs, rewriting their answers in the presence of an UHSR employee. Students used erasable ink pens, later erasing their original responses with hair dryers before rewriting answers from textbooks. The police have booked 41 individuals, including 24 MBBS students and 17 UHSR employees, in connection with the scam. Three of the employees are in jail while the investigation is still underway.
“Under the revised system, each page of the answer sheet will now carry a unique barcode, which will include not only the page number but also the main answer sheet number printed on the first page. This will help ensure that every page in a given answer book is authenticated and linked to the same student, thereby making it impossible to insert or remove pages without detection,” sources said.
The decision comes after it was discovered that racketeers had tampered with MBBS exam answer sheets by detaching the original first page and attaching it to another answer booklet filled out after the examination, allegedly to help students from a private college secure passing marks.
Sources said a preliminary inquiry conducted by a three-member committee — led by the Director of Kalpana Chawla Medical College, Karnal — found that 46 blank answer sheets from the MBBS exam held at the UHSR campus in January-February 2024 had gone missing. Shockingly, some of these missing sheets resurfaced with attempted answers during the subsequent examination held in April-May 2024.
Confirming the new initiative, Dr HK Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor of UHSR, said, “We are leaving no stone unturned to eliminate any possibility of malpractice. The introduction of page-wise barcoding is a crucial step in ensuring transparency and fairness in our evaluation process.”
Dr Aggarwal also mentioned that this security upgrade would not be restricted to MBBS exams alone but will be gradually extended to paramedical and other allied health courses under the university.
