Education: Class XII students of the School for Language and Cultures Studies in Thimphu, who are appearing the board examination were taken by surprise when they received the wrong question paper on December 9.

Instead of ‘English to Dzongkha’ and ‘Dzongkha to English’ translation papers, all 300 students were distributed the ‘Choekey to English’ translation question papers when only five students were appearing the ‘Choekey to English’ paper.

The five students were taken to another examination hall for them to continue with their paper.

A 23-year-old student said at 9am all students were distributed the question papers.

“As we read the question paper we realised that we were given the wrong ‘translation’ question paper,” she said. “All students started complaining to the invigilator then.”

On verifying with the invigilators, it was confirmed that the students were given the wrong question paper.

Invigilators informed the supervisor, who immediately contacted Bhutan Council for School Examination and Assessment (BCSEA).

Students were kept inside their respective examination halls for another three hours before the right question papers arrived. They were served tea and cupcakes while they waited for the correct question papers to arrive. The board examination that was supposed to end at 12.30pm was delayed until 3.30pm.

BCSEA’s controller of examination Sangay Tenzin however maintains that it was not the wrong question paper but a shortage of question papers that had led to the issue. He said, the council also did not reprint but had the question papers (required 295) on ‘standby’.

“It took sometime but we adjusted,” he said. “And running short of question paper during board examination is normal.”

He explained that the shortage occurred because the translation paper consists of various sections such as A, B and C with different content. The lapses, he said, happened while packaging question papers for numerous examination centres.

Meanwhile other Dzongkha language schools such as Taktse, Simtokha and Jampeling conducted their exams without any hassle. Class XII students complete their board examination tomorrow.

Nirmala Pokhrel