Glaring errors found in SCERT Class V maths exam

Anxiety gripped teachers and Class V students of government primary schools across the state owing to glaring mistakes found in the maths exam being conducted by the State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) on Monday.

From printing errors to leaving inadequate space for answer, the teachers had to make frantic calls to their seniors regarding the problem.

To cover its mistake, the department — instead of issuing a letter — circulated a message in the departmental WhatsApp group asking the teachers not to upload the marks of the paper till further order.

Citing examples, a teacher said in question number 22, there was a printing error — it was asking place value instead of the required face value.

Questioning the conduct of the exams, the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) has sought an inquiry into the matter. It has raised concerns over the mismanagement in the conduct of exams. Flagging the issue, Vikram Dev, president of DTH, said the exams are supposed to start at 9 am, but it started at 10 am as the papers reached the school late. Instead of calling the centre heads for collection of the papers at 7 am, the papers should have been handed over a day ahead of the scheduled exam, he said.

It is for the first time that the state council for education research and training (SCERT) is conducting the primary class exams, instead of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).