Neten Dorji | Wamrong

Thirty-seven students sit for the board examinations at Tashitse School and three students at Losel Gyatsho Academy in Gelephu today after their answer scripts were allegedly stolen.

Bhutan Council for School Examination and Assessment (BCSEA) officials are conducting the exam which begins at 10am.

Principal of Tashitse HSS, Ugyen said only one student had travelled far. He went on vacation with his parents and returned from Kerala, India.

“Except for three girls, most of the students were in nearby dzongkhags. With the help of education officers, we could pick all our students up by Tuesday,” he said.

He said that once students were in the school, they were briefed and given counselling by two counsellors in the school.

According to the principal, the school administration arranged everything as per the directive of the Prime Minister and education ministry.

He also said that they arranged coaching classes for English II, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

“Luckily three teachers who taught English, Chemistry, and Mathematics were on the school campus,” said the Principal. “For the Physics subject, we arranged a session through zoom as the teacher was transferred to Thimphu.”

Principal Ugyen said that students have a telegram group where the teachers share notes. “We are allowing students to use the mobile phone in school since those who don’t have a notebook can refer to notes shared by their teacher.”

Meanwhile, parents are worried about how their children would perform.

A parent, Wangdi, said he was shocked when he heard the missing answer scripts were from Tashitse HSS.

“I heard papers were leaked in the past but I was surprised when they said the answer sheets were missing,” he said. “I’m most worried about how my son can perform this time since he has only a Chemistry guidebook.”

He said, there is limited time to prepare for those who had to re-sit all papers.

Another parent, Norbu Wangchuk said that they were worried about how well their children would do in the exam. “My daughter said she performed well in the previous exam. Now I am worried if she will be able to do well this time too,” he said.

“It seems unfair because the previous paper might be easy and the standby paper may be tough,” he said, adding that his daughter was shocked to hear the news.

Parents felt the re-examinations could seriously impact the morale of the students. “This is going to be difficult for them and will impact their result. Additionally, the class 12 examination is a life-changing opportunity for our children,” said a  parent, Karchung.

Another parent said most of the parents were disappointed that after a year of hard work, the results may not be as expected.

“This was unfortunate and unfair to students for wrongdoing committed by someone else. We need more vigilance for board examinations to prevent such incidents in future,” he added.