Jailed teacher told to check exam papers

Patna: The Bihar School Examination Board, in its latest gaffe, has assigned Intermediate answer paper evaluation duty to a person who is in jail for the topper scam that rocked the board in 2016.

According to the board’s letter, Sanjeev Kumar Suman, lodged at Beur Central Jail, has been made evaluator for the mathematics paper.

Suman was a teacher at Government Boys High School, Rajendra Nagar, which was the evaluation centre for candidates from Vishun Rai College run by Bachcha Rai, the alleged kingpin of the topper scam.

Suman and Visheshwar Prasad Yadav, the principal-cum-centre superintendent of the Rajendra Nagar school, are accused of tampering with the 2016 boar exam answer papers in connivance with board officials including then board chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh.

“This not the first time that such negligence of the school examination board has been revealed,” said Abhishek Kumar, general secretary, Bihar Secondary Teachers Association.

“Earlier as well, the board had issued letters assigning evaluating duties to retired teachers, transferred teachers or on many occasions to even teachers who had passed away,” he added.

School examination board chairman Anand Kishor said a wrong letter was issued.

“We have come to know about the matter. Prima facie it appears that some officers from district education office in Patna have issued the 2016 letter in negligence. We are probing how such error occurred,” he said.

The Intermediate papers’ evaluation started in March and will continue till April second week. The Intermediate examination was held from February 6 to 16 this year, and around 12.08 lakh candidates took the exam.

Courtesy: The Telegraph