Retest of economics paper will not delay results: CBSE official

An official of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has said that the re-test of the Class 12 Economics paper, held on April 25, nearly a month after it was leaked, will not delay declaration of results.

"The results will be declared on time as the evaluation is in advanced stage despite re-exam of economics paper. We have rigorously followed up with schools to send more evaluators than the required number," a senior Board official told PTI.

There were also reports of the CBSE's Class 10 mathematics paper being leaked, but the board decided against its re-test, saying class 10 was just an "internal segment" of school education system.

The reports of leak of the CBSE papers had caused disappointment among students across the country last month. In Delhi, students held protests accusing the CBSE of negligence and demanded immediate action against the guilty.

According to Delhi Police, the class 12 economics paper was leaked on 23 March - three days before the scheduled date of the examination.

Investigators made arrests in several parts of the country in connection with the case, including in Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh.

They claimed to have arrested the main conspirators behind the leak from Una in Himachal Pradesh. The three people were staffers of a school in the town.

The leak was exposed after an envelop containing four images of the hand-written economics paper was delivered to the CBSE headquarters in Delhi on the evening of the scheduled day of the examination -- 26 March.

Following reports of the leak, on April 2 CBSE tried a "leak-proof" system of "encrypted" question papers, which delayed the exam as a few centres in Delhi were unable to follow the printing of encrypted papers, e-mailed to them, at the school itself.

The HRD ministry then set up a committee to examine the process by which the CBSE conducts examinations.

The seven-member panel, headed by former HRD secretary Vinay Sheel Oberoi, will suggest measures to make the process "secure and fool-proof" using technology.

The committee has to submit its report by May 31 to the Human Resource Development Ministry.