UP Board Exams 2018: Evaluators find bizarre appeals during evaluations of answer sheets

Staring at failure in the board exams and in dire need of a high school or intermediate pass certificate, several examinees have made bizarre appeals to evaluators and have even tried to bribe them for lenient evaluation for a certification from the UP Board.

The appeals written in the answer scripts range from asking evaluators to consider the examinee as his or her own daughter to a love affair being the ‘excuse’ for not having studied well for the exam and yet desiring a pass grade.

Virtually every appeal begs for pass marks even without the requisite answers penned by the examinee in the recently concluded UP Board’s high school and intermediate examinations. Evaluators would have ‘heavenly rewards besides blessings of the examinee as well as his family’ for the favour.

For example, in an answer sheet of intermediate Hindi subject evaluated at CAV Inter College evaluation center, a girl has penned an emotional appeal to the evaluator saying that if she was the latter’s daughter, would he or she have failed her?

“With folded hands I request you to forgive me. I am from a poor family and have saved this money by stitching clothes. I did not have books for studies. I had to make do with other people’s books. I implore you to pass me,” the message reads in the answer sheet.

In another answer sheet the examinee blames his love life for his poor performance. “Sir I studied till high school sincerely and got good marks. But after falling in love with Pooja, I could not study well for this exam as the love story distanced me from studies. Sir, very, very sorry for writing this,” writes another examinee but shies away from begging for marks.

According to Lal Mani Diwedi, state general secretary of Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh (UPMSS) and a teacher in a UP Board school in Allahabad, the Board had succeeded in its anti-copying mission and appeals to evaluators by examines in answer sheets for giving them pass marks were proof of it.

“Examines have appealed for marks to evaluators citing different reasons for not having performed well. Some examines even lauded CM Yogi Adityanath’s decision to check copying in UP Board exams,” he said.

In an answer sheet of Chemistry at KP Inter college evaluation center, the examinee has penned a couplet-cum-appeal for the evaluator stating “Chitti Chitti ja sir ke pass, sir ki marzi, fail karein ya pass.” He further mentions: “Guruji pass kar de.”

At the Government Girls Inter College, an evaluator is greeted with a heart rendering appeal, “I come from a very poor family and lost my father very early. I am forced to work and look after the needs of my siblings. I beg you to pass me. It would be a great favour to me and my family.”

“Appeals of all kinds are being found in answer sheets. Some appeal to your heart while others sound fake. But nothing can be done as we award marks based on just the answers they are expected to write for the questions given in the question papers,” said an evaluator requesting anonymity.

Some examinees have even tried to bribe evaluators who have found currency notes of denominations from Rs 10 to Rs 100 in the answer sheets.

The evaluation of over five crore answer sheets of UP Board’s high school and intermediate examinations commenced on March 17 under CCTV vigil at 248 evaluation centers in the state. Around 1.40 lakh teachers are evaluating the answer scripts. The evaluation is scheduled to be completed in a period of 15 days.

A total of 66.4 lakh candidates had registered for UP board examinations including 36.6 lakh for high school and 29.8 lakh for intermediate. However, due to strict anti copying measures, 11,27,815 examinees left the exams midway while 1,146 were caught using unfair means.