Exams over, questions hang on

Thiruvananthapuram: The recent leakage of SSLC mathematics examination question paper has  once again brought to focus the unholy nexus between question paper setters, private tuition centres and guide lobby.  The issue came to light  with the Pareeksha Bhavan submitting a report to DPI K.V. Mohankumar that 13 questions of mathematics paper were copied from the model question paper for SSLC published by a private agency, Malabar Education Research Institute (MERIT), based at Thottumukkom at Areekode, Malappuram district. Following this,  general education secretary Usha Titus in a report to the government  sought a detailed inquiry into the relations between K. Sujith Kumar,  a higher secondary teacher of Government Welfare Higher Secondary School, Cherukkunnu, Kannur district,  who  prepared the question papers, and MERIT. The report also pointed out that a  teacher of the CPPM higher Secondary School, Vellachal, Tirur,  was allegedly behind MERIT. It was alleged that 13 questions were leaked to students who got tuition at the centre, sources said.

Another teacher of the Rajiv Gandhi Higher secondary school, Mokeri, Kannur district,   and a Kozhikode-based educationist, who writes columns for SSLC-based portions for a newspaper, were also under the scanner.  The modus operandi of the private agencies and the guide lobby is to take on board teachers who prepare questions for the public examinations. The teachers are lured into the business of selling ‘model’ question papers to tuition centres and parallel colleges in the state, sources said. Almost all the major tuition centres and parallel colleges  conduct  two mid-term exams, one in July and the other in November, and ahead of the Onam and Christmas examinations respectively. They also conduct unit examinations in January and a pre-model test later in the year. Even unaided schools and government and aided schools depend on these question papers. The government prepares  only question papers for the Onam, Christmas and annual examinations.

Though the government supplies the question papers for the model SSLC examinations, schools are forced to take  model question papers from higher secondary examinations,  sources said.     These questions are prepared by the same teachers who set questions for the public examinations. The  agencies have connections in the Pareeksha Bhawan, SCERT   and office of the DPI to get the list of question setters. The model questions would be similar or would follow  the same pattern of the SSLC examinations. Teachers who prepare the questions for the public examinations are paid a huge amount for the job, sources said. All-Kerala Private School Teachers Union (AKSTU) general secretary N. Sreekumar told Deccan Chronicle that these teachers have an uncanny ability to change camps whenever there is a change in government. They build up connections to ensure that they get into the panels to prepare school textbooks, SCERT’s question pool, study materials and the preparatory materials. The same persons are put on the job year after year even after they retire, he  said.