Goof-ups mar Himachal Board’s Class X, XII exams

Chaos and confusion gripped several examination centres of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Examination on Friday due to two major blunders.

In one incident, a Class XII English question paper, scheduled for Saturday, was mistakenly opened at a centre in Chamba district, forcing the board to cancel the exam. “The teachers opened it, thinking it was the Class X English paper. Tomorrow’s exam has been cancelled and a fresh date will be announced soon,” said Vishal Sharma, Secretary, HPBSE.

The second error involved the Class X English exam held on Friday. The Series A question paper contained several pages from the Series B paper, leaving students baffled. “There was a lengthy passage in the question paper, but the questions were completely unrelated. There was some problem in multiple-choice questions as well,” said a Shimla-based teacher present at one of the centres. “Students were shocked, with many on the verge of tears. Even those with the correct question papers were disturbed,” the teacher said.

When informed, the secretary instructed examination centre superintendents to provide students with the missing pages and extra time to complete the paper. “Remedial measures were taken, but if schools raise concerns, we can consider further relief,” said Sharma. He attributed the error to a binding issue, explaining, “Once the question papers are bound and sealed at the press, they cannot be opened before the exam day.”

Meanwhile, Surender Pundir, president of the Lecturers Association in Sirmaur, expressed concern over the impact of such incidents on the students, particularly high achievers. “Such mistakes must be avoided in the remaining exams,” he emphasised.