Authorities have removed top education bosses from the exam board after marking failures in tests taken by nearly two million high school students sparked outrage and calls for protests.
The controversy, after the board acknowledged cybersecurity vulnerabilities in a digital marking system, is the latest to rock India’s examination system, sparking mounting criticism of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The board’s chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta were transferred to other government departments, according to an order issued late Tuesday.
Around 1.8 million students took the CBSE 12th grade examination this year, the final test before graduating.
The CBSE said the online marking system, deployed this year, was aimed at increasing “accuracy and efficiency” of results.
But many students said it had assigned incorrect grades or issued results to the wrong students.
The CBSE said it has “contained” vulnerabilities identified and launched a re-evaluation portal for students.
But anger has mounted.
Young Indians are pressing for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while online satirical group, the Cockroach People’s Party, has called for peaceful protests on Saturday in New Delhi.
The controversy follows last month’s examination scandal, when authorities scrapped the nationwide medical college entrance exam after investigators uncovered a question paper leak.
Media reported suicides of teenagers following the fiasco over the National Eligibility Entrance Test, one of the country’s most competitive exams.
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the “kingpin” it alleged was behind the leak, naming him as a chemistry lecturer involved in the examination process. — AFP
