Committee to look into pass percentage manipulation in Assam

A day after informing Assam assembly of manipulation in the pass percentage in matric exam in the state, the state government today said it will form a committee to look into it and suggest remedies.
"A committee will be formed comprising vice-chancellors of Gauhati University, Dibrugarh University, KKHS Open University and Kumar Bhaskar Varma Sanskrit and Ancient Studies University. It will look into the issue of moderation of marks," Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in the assembly.
The Committee will look into all the cases since 2001 and decide what should be the level of moderation, he said.

In a shocking revelation yesterday, the minister had said the pass percentage of students in matriculation exams conducted by the state board is manipulated every year to show a better picture of the education system.
In support of his statement, Sarma today presented the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) in which it decided to give additional grace marks to the students.
"The CBSE also does moderation of marks, but in a particular subject if the questions are out of the syllabus. But not in the way that SEBA has been doing in general. This was done not for the students' benefit, but for political gain by showing improvement in education system," he said.

To avoid politics in the issue the government has decided to include only academicians in the Committee, said Sarma, who was the education minister during Congress regime too.
Sarma had told the assembly that the manipulation in marks by SEBA was as high as 40 per cent. A meeting of SEBA always takes place before the declaration of the results where a resolution is adopted to hike the pass percentage points every year in consultation with the government of that time.