Students protest over Assam HSLC paper leak

GUWAHATI: Several examinees of the class 10 state board examination demonstrated in front of the office which conducts this test in Guwahati, while hundreds of others were staging similar protests in other parts of Assam on Saturday.

With the exam for Modern Indian Languages (MIL) and English due on Saturday cancelled due to leakage of question papers – the second such cancellation within a week in the state for the same reason – hundreds of students, including matric aspirants, continued to protest against the incident.

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Nearly a hundred students gathered in front of the Board of Secondary Education, Assam, (SEBA) office here for the second day, raising slogans against the board and the government. “We want the SEBA chairman to come and meet us so that we can place our issues before him. We will wait till he comes,” a student of TC Girls HS School said.

Another one from Bhaskar Vidyapeeth added, “We don’t understand why the chairman, RC Jain, is afraid to face us. He is sending representatives, but we won’t budge till we meet the chairman.” Students from several schools had protested in front of SEBA office on Friday also till late evening and dispersed only after a meeting with top officials of the Board.

Two instances of question paper leak of class 10 exams conducted by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam, (SEBA) has come to light, leading to the cancellation of both tests. The general science exam, scheduled for Monday, was cancelled the night before, while the Modern Indian Language (MIL) and English papers, slated for Saturday, were declared cancelled by SEBA on Thursday night.

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The cancelled General Science exam will now be held on March 30, while the other on April 1. In Namti of Sivsagar district, a student pleaded for the chief minister’s intervention and ensure that the exam is held smoothly. “We are the same age as the chief minister’s children. We are the future of the country. We come from middle-class families, our parents pay for our education with great difficulty. Please don’t make a mockery of our efforts and future,” the girl student said.

Students who came out to protest in Dholpur, Lakhimpur, and Kharupetia, Darrang, staged road blockades and also burnt tyres and effigies of Education Minister Ranoj Pegu. In Bongaigaon, they staged protests in front of the deputy commissioner’s office, raising slogans against SEBA and the Education department.

Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and its student wing formed a human chain in Gandhi Chowk in Bilasipara of Dhubri district to register their protest against the paper leakage case. Protests were staged by students as well as different organisations in different parts, including Gohpur, Raha, Golaghat and Mariani.