NTSE revaluation exposes examiners’ ‘blunders’
Strap: Students fetch 300% higher marks after answersheets re-checked
BQ
Error in filling OMR sheets
The ‘mistakes’ in preparing the results were due to improper filling of OMR sheets, which are used as answersheets. As an OMR sheet is evaluated by computer, any minor mistake in filling it creates problems. We are re-evaluating the answersheets manually in cases where students have approached us
Prabhjot Kaur, ntse nodal officer
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, July 15
The result of National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), declared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCSERT) recently, has stirred a controversy.
While hundreds of students could not get their result due to technical glitches, many others are not satisfied with it and are approaching the SCSERT, demanding re-checking of their answersheets.
After re-checking, majority of the students have got an increase of 200 to 300 per cent marks. Aayush Dhingra of Faridkot scored only 37 out of total 200 marks. He approached the SCERT for re-checking and the marks were increased to 159. Goyam Jain’s marks were also increased from 52 to 160 after rechecking. There are dozens of such students in Faridkot and their number is much higher in the state.
Around 40,000 Class-X students in the state had appeared in the NTSE, conducted by the SCERT on December 20, 2020. The result, which is usually declared within 40-45 days after the exam, was declared on June 21 after a delay of around five months.
Prabhjot Kaur, SCERT Deputy Director and NTSE nodal officer, said the “mistakes” in preparing the results were due to improper filling of OMR (optical mark reading), which are used as answersheets. As the OMR sheets were evaluated by the computer, any minor mistake in filling the sheet creates problems. “We are re-evaluating the answersheets manually in cases where the students have approached us,” she said, adding: “We are also going for proper training of invigilators in the NTSE exams to avoid such mistakes in future.”
The students who qualify the NTSE-Stage II, to be conducted by the NCERT next month, receive a scholarship of Rs 1,250 per month for Classes XI and XII and Rs 2,000 per month for under-graduation or above courses. Only those who qualify the Stage-I test are eligible for Stage-II test. The SCERT has released a merit list of 194 Stage-I qualified candidates.
