Cheating rampant at HSC exam centres

Six cases of cheating have been caught over the past five days at the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams. Today, three students from Thane, Raigad and Mumbai division were caught copying. Three students were caught cheating during their first paper, English, on Tuesday.

“They will be presented before an inquiry committee for a hearing and will be punished as per the committee’s decision,” said Ujwala Patil, chairperson, State board.

According to students, copying is rampant despite stringent measures in centres. “At our centre, when a boy was caught cheating, he was prepared Rs500 to give the teacher, so he could continue. But that teacher refused the money and took away his paper,” said Sejal Yadav, a student of Nirmala College, Malad.

Two students who were to sit for the examination at Rizvi College, Bandra, did not check their timetables correctly, missed their papers and called up the board helpline.  They will be marked absent. Also, since the start of the exams, nearly 10 students have missed their papers, said a board official.