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Already burdened by the pressure of ‘board’ exams, thousands of Class VIII students in nearly 50 per cent of the centres across Punjab were in for some more anxiety as they shockingly received the Punjabi question paper on the day that was scheduled for the social studies test. Mercifully, the jolt was soon contained. Thanks to the presence of mind of the invigilators and teachers on duty, within an hour, the children were writing the exam for the subject that they had come prepared for. The relief came as the correct question paper was procured in no time via WhatsApp or email from other centres; copies were printed and distributed, or the paper was written on the blackboard.
While technology helped them save the day, it does not absolve the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Punjab — the agency responsible for conducting the Class VIII exams — of its duty to ensure that no such goof-ups occur. It turns out that a private vendor responsible for printing the question paper committed the blunder of inserting the Punjabi paper in envelopes marked social studies because of lack of proficiency in the Punjabi language. The SCERT would do well to blacklist the vendor. At the same time, it is outrageous that knowledge of the language was not one of the criteria for the selection of people being entrusted with this job; a job whose importance cannot be emphasised enough as it has a direct bearing on the moulding of human resource and future citizenry.
The state education department needs to plug all loopholes so that it does not fail schoolchildren with embarrassing gaffes. In an almost annual rite, some faux pas or the other rears its head during school exams, betraying a lackadaisical approach of the authorities concerned. They must view school education as a critical strategic investment. Unless given the status of a vital infrastructure project, the appallingly low levels of learning achieved by children every year and goof-ups are likely to remain the order of the day.
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