Matric questions again surface on WhatsApp during exam

Bhubaneswar: Minutes after the annual High School Certificate (HSC) Mathematics examination conducted by the Odisha Board of Secondary Education (BSE) commenced on Saturday, the photographs of the question paper reportedly went viral on social media.

It has been alleged that the papers have been circulated on the social media platform from one of the exam centres in Odapada block of Kendrapara district.

As per sources, the exam began at 9.30 am today while around 9.54 am the papers had already gone viral on WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, when the District Education Officer (DEO) was contacted, he said he received the information at around 11.40 am by the time the examination was already over.

Despite the Tehsildar and Magistrate being present along with so many staff deployed in the exam centre, how the papers surfaced on WhatsApp is a serious question. It has also been alleged that a few question papers were again sent inside the hall with answers marked in the paper itself.

However, School and Mass Education Minister Badri Nayan Patra ruled out question paper leak and said, "Reports of matric question paper viral on social media are false. Question paper went out of the centre only after the examination was over and it came to the notice of district education officer at 11:45 am."

Prior to this, the question paper of MIL-Odia and English surfaced on social media when the exams were underway. Meanwhile, the disturbing trend of question papers going viral soon after the commencement of exam has certainly raised serious doubts over the ‘internal vigil’ by the authorities responsible for the conduct of the matriculation examination in the State.