Bihar: University forgets to print question papers, exam postponed

BHAGALPUR: Bihar, infamous for question paper leaks, reached a new low on Tuesday, when 94 students of the Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (TMBU) could not write their last paper of the second semester postgraduate Hindi exam, as the question papers were not printed.

The vice chancellor has served a show cause notice on the controller of examination and the head of Hindi postgraduation department.

The second semester postgraduation exam schedule was announced in the second week of March. While exams of three papers had been conducted, it was the final paper which was held up Tuesday, as question papers could not be printed.

Ninetyfour students taking the examination had to return without writing the exam. The university is yet to announce the new examination date.

University sources, quoting the controller of examination, said the question papers were also not sent to him for initiating the printing process.

TMBU public relations officer (PRO) Ashok Thakur said the head of the department (HoD), Hindi, had blamed the goof up on the confusion created by introduction of the choice based credit system (CBCS).

“The CBCS was introduced to allow students flexibility to choose any subject (from science, arts or commerce streams) in the fourth paper. The Hindi HoD has claimed that printing of question papers could not be initiated as he was not aware which subjects the students opted for in the fourth paper,” Thakur added.

The TMBU has struggled to adhere to its examination schedule.

Earlier, shortage of answer books in the university had contributed to the delay in the degree part II examination by almost a year.

The PRO on Thursday said the degree part II examination would now commence from April 25. Initially unused answer books of previous years would be given to candidates to write their papers, he said.

Officials said answer books could not be printed as the former vice chancellor was restricted from taking a decision on financial matters during his last leg of tenure. The in-charge VC, who took over subsequently, also had limited powers.

About 3.5 lakh answer books are required by nearly 70,000 students who would take the degree part II examinations.

The visuals of mass cheating in the Bihar School Examination Board exams in 2015, followed by the intermediate toppers’ scam a year later and the recent question paper leak of the Bihar Staff Selection Commission examination for appointment of clerical staff, have already sullied Bihar’s image.