Students' protest on Friday
Amid widespread outrage over leak of CBSE question papers and subsequent retests, the government on Friday said that the re-examination for Class 12 economics paper would be held on April 25 throughout the country, while ruling out re-test for Class 10 Maths paper for now.
On re-tests for Class 10 mathematics, the HRD Ministry said that a final decision on the re-examination for Delhi-NCR and Haryana would be taken in the next 15 days following a detailed inquiry.
Education Secretary Anil Swarup, while answering a barrage of questions from reporters on the leaks issue, said a preliminary enquiry has revealed that the leak of the Class 10 mathematics paper was restricted only to Delhi and Haryana.
He asserted that there has been no leak outside India, and therefore no re-examination will be held abroad.
The question papers are different for students appearing for the CBSE examinations outside India.
Swarup said the class 12 examinations are very important in the context of the future of the student and the date for the economics re-examination has been fixed for April 25 .
"As far as class 10 examination is concerned, the preliminary enquiry (shows) that the leak was restricted to Delhi and Haryana and further details are being found out. Hence, a decision has been taken that if at all a re-examination has to happen, it will happen only in Delhi-NCR and Haryana.
"A decision to this effect, will be taken in next 15 days when more details become available and if at all this examination (Class 10 mathematics) has to be held consequently to the detailed inquiry, it shall be held in month of July, so their schedules are not upset," he said.
The details of the re-test were announced by the HRD Ministry amid continuing widespread outrage over the paper leak issue, with the opposition blaming the government for causing agony to the students and their parents.
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The outrage over the paper leaks spread across the country. In Delhi, students and Congress youth leaders held protests on the issue, accusing the CBSE of negligence and demanding immediate action against the guilty.
Meanwhile, six students were detained in Chatra district of Jharkhand in connection with the leak, while in the national capital, the Delhi police wrote to Google for details of the e-mail address from where the CBSE chairperson was sent an email on the Class 10 mathematics paper being leaked.
The police also questioned 10 more people and "interacted" with the CBSE controller of examinations over the leak.
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, in a series of tweets, said, "In the larger interest of academics & students the sensitive govt has taken a decision not to have nationwide retest in Maths for class 10th".
"The test will be held in Delhi, Haryana after final inputs from police and that too if needed it will be held in July. In the interest of students of 12th class, so that they will not be hampered in their future career, their economic retest will happen on 25th April. So now no confusion .All the best," he said.
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The opposition stepped up its attack on the government over the issue, with Congress president Rahul Gandhi taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he would now write a sequel to his book "Exam Warriors" to "teach students and parents stress relief, once their lives are destroyed due to leaked exam papers".
The Congress has already demanded the sacking of Javadekar, who today turned to students for finding a solution to the "challenge" of tackling paper leaks.
OPPOSITION PARTIES ATTACK GOVERNMENT; SISODIA ASKS JAVADEKAR TO CONVENE MEETING OF EDUCATION MINISTERS
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray too attacked the government and asked students and parents to boycott re-examinations for the CBSE exam papers that got leaked.
Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia shot off a letter to Javadekar, asking him to convene a meeting of all state education ministers to discuss ways to stop recurrence of such serious incidents.
The CPI(M) also expressed concern over the CBSE leak and said the entire institutional mechanism in the country dealing with education was under threat.
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STUDENTS, POLITICAL PARTIES PROTEST OVER CBSE MOVE
Protests continued in Delhi as some students gathered on Parliament Street in the heart of the city, while members of the Congress' National Students Union of India (NSUI) marched towards Javadekar's residence but were stopped.
Student groups and the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) also demonstrated outside the CBSE headquarters in east Delhi's Preet Vihar, raising various demands, including an independent investigation.
A delegation of the RSS-backed ABVP also met the Union minister raising similar demands, including necessary procedural changes to ensure "leak-proof" exams.
Earlier in the day, scores of students also demonstrated outside the CBSE headquarters, asking for an early resolution to their problems.
The Delhi Police had registered separate cases on March 27 and March 28, respectively, to probe the leak of the Class 12 economics paper and Class 10 mathematics paper, following a complaint by the regional director of the CBSE.
The police since yesterday have questioned 35 people, including a coaching centre's owner, 18 students and some tutors, in connection with the case, an official privy to the investigations said.
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