Mass copying: 34 students detained in the Nilgiris

COIMBATORE: A day after withholding their results in the board exam over copying row at a government-aided school in Samraj Nagar in the Nilgiris, all the 34 students on Tuesday were declared fail in Mathematics. The move has left both students and parents outraged, who have confronted the education department to justify their decision.

An aggrieved parent said, “The teachers had helped only two students in writing answers during the board exam. Instead of taking them to task, it is shocking that all other students have been failed. A student has written NEET, while another student has cleared JEE. Now the fate of all these students remains uncertain.”

Five invigilators, who helped the students to write answers, have been supended.

“On the day of the exam, the teachers helped some students in two exam halls in the school. After other teachers raised the issue, the authorities checked CCTV footage and confirmed the offence. There were around 34 students, who sat for exams in both the halls,” said an official.

Meanwhile, chief educational officer A Munusamy, accompanied by senior officials from Coimbatore, held an inquiry with the 34 students, five suspended teachers and other school teachers for over four hours. “The inquiry report will be sent to the Directorate of Government Examination (DGE) in Chennai. Soon, the state government will take a decision on awarding marks to 32 students except two others, who allegedly copied in the exam,” said Munusamy.