Barcode, not name, on answer sheet; live-streaming of exams: Health univ
Times of India | 8 November 2024
Kolkata: In medical exams, answer sheets will not bear the names of candidates but will have individual code numbers and barcodes. If anyone is caught cheating or adopting unfair means during an exam, the paper will be cancelled: These are some of the recommendations that West Bengal University of Health Sciences made on Thursday to stop irregularities during medical exams.
During the RG Kar protests, doctors had questioned various aspects of the state health administration system, some of the main grievances being the irregularities, lack of transparency and corruption in the education system. Following an instruction from chief minister Mamata Banerjee, a six-member committee was formed by the health university to review the exam system.
An online meeting was held with the principals/directors of different medical colleges on Oct 30 to discuss how to ensure fair exams, said the controller of examinations at the university, adding that following a verbal directive from Swasthya Bhawan, the six-member committee drafted the SOP. The recommended guidelines would need approval from the academic council for implementation, said an official. The panel suggested that the norms be followed, starting with postgraduate exams next month.
According to the recommendations, every exam centre will be monitored with the help of CCTV cameras, the exams will be livestreamed and before entering the halls, candidates and their belongings will be checked. Once the answer sheets are submitted, they will be kept at the health university, where they will be checked. "If any irregularity is detected inside the exam room, if anyone is found cheating or carrying mobiles or gadgets, that paper will be cancelled," said an official. "No answer sheet will carry a candidate's name, but will have a code. Question papers will have separate codes. It will not be clearly stated which question papers are in which centre. Everything will be understood through barcodes."
The recommended SOP also mentioned special measures to prevent question papers being leaked. The official pointed out that it was decided at the Oct 30 meeting that any deviation from the university's SOP for the exam system would not be tolerated.
The Health Services Association, West Bengal, mailed its demands to the university pro-VC, Debasis Basu. On behalf of the association, Arnab Sengupta said, "As an immediate remedial measure, we have recommended some steps, like a strict biometric system at a single-entry point to the exam section, CCTV coverage, framing of questions from ones sent by senior teachers across the country, no mention of exam details on the body of the question paper and use of unidentifiable codes, separate set of examiners for theory evaluation."