Scam-hit Bihar board flies in toppers for 'physical verification'
After two consecutive years of being left red-faced over its fraud "toppers", the Bihar School Examination Board made doubly sure the rank-holders in the 2017 Class X exams were genuine. The 21 students securing the top 10 positions were called in to Patna by train and even by flights for 'physical verification' and cross-checking their personal details and answer sheets.
Class XII 'toppers' of 2016, 2017 left board red-faced
Last year, after Ruby Rai 'topped' the Class XII arts exam, it emerged that she had no idea about the subjects being taught; in a TV interview, she said political science taught them cooking. This year, 24-year-old arts 'topper' Ganesh Kumar seemed to have no knowledge of 'sur' and 'taal' though he had scored high in music. He later turned out to be 42-years-old.
BSEB quizzed toppers, cross-checked relevant details in four days
Before declaring the Class X results, the BSEB flew in students from various cities - some had left town for admissions. Four chosen 'experts' quizzed them on their subjects orally and verified authenticity of all relevant details like name, age and more. The process took four days and was completed on June 19, said BSEB chairman Anand Kishore. Results were declared on June 22.
Not just verification, BSEB upped security during exams too
Before physical verification, the BSEB took measures to ensure the exams were conducted efficiently. Kishore said security features included "CCTV in all exam centres, bar-coding in answer sheets" and more. Just over half the candidates, 50.12% students, passed this year. Strict checking of answer sheets was said to be a factor.
