MBOSE Executive Chairman denies allegation of mass copying

Shillong, June 20 (UNI) Executive Chairman of Meghalaya Board of Secondary Education (MBOSE) T C Marak today denied an allegation made by legislator Sydullah Nongrum and others of mass copying during the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination.

Board was also not aware of the alleged bribing of the examiners by paying Rs 8000 per subject by students to help them, he told reporters.

Mr Marak said that he had met Mr Nongrum, an MLA from Rajaballa constituency, and asked him to furnish the authentic and concrete evidence of his allegation. But he submitted a list of names without any signature and any proof substantiating his allegation, adding he said the Board was helpless to investigate on it. However, the Board was initiating on its own to ascertain any lapses.

Following the allegation by public and the legislator, the government had asked the Board to submit its inquiry report to the government within 15 days about the anomalies in the examinations.

However, the Board officials, had admitted that there was rampant individual copying and not not the mass copying as reported in a section of the press.

Mr J D Sangma, directorate of Administration and Controller of Examination, MBOSE, Shillong Centre, who was also in the news conference said that ''we had very sound three-tier examination systems and maintaining secrecy.'' He, However, said that the Board was in the process of revamping the whole system and maintaining strict measures, citing an example that during the year 2005 there were only 11 number of students expelled, while in 2006 it was 58 and during the 2007 it was 195.

Ms B W Momin, Chief academic officer said the MBOSE was in the process of having its own books instead of NCRT as state was facing short-supplies and also the frequent changing of syllabus by CBSE, with no alternative but to follow suit to tune with CBSE, hopefully, by the year 2008.

UNI