Early collection of question papers from banks led to leak, says PSEB
Faridkot, February 26
Two days after the Class XII English exam was postponed by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) over allegations of a paper leak, the board has blamed Principals-cum-Centre Controllers for not adhering to the guidelines in taking custody of the question papers from the banks.
The question papers are kept in custody of two nationalised banks, which are nearest to the exam centre.
It has been alleged that some controllers collected the question papers from the banks well in advance.
The papers for Class X and Class XII examination had been handed over to the banks to maintain secrecy.
As per PSEB instructions, all controllers should collect the question paper 90 minutes before the exam starts.
In case of Class XII, the question paper should be collected from the banks not before 12.30 pm as the exam starts at 2 pm. And for Class X exams, the question papers should not be collected before 8.30 am.
“It has come to the fore that many controllers collected the questions papers between 10 am and 11 am on February 24, which is a gross negligence,” reads the letter issued by the Assistant Secretary, PSEB, to all Principals.
Sources in the PSEB revealed that the advance collection of question papers from the bank resulted in paper leak in a border district.
The PSEB has warned that violation of guidelines regarding collection of question papers from the banks would be treated as a criminal offence. The controller has to mention the time in a register at the time of getting custody of papers.
