Saudi Gazette

DAMMAM — The Indian Ministry of Human Resources and Development has announced that there is no evidence of any leakage of examination papers outside India and as a result there will not be any re-examination for Indian students pursuing studies at CBSE-affiliated schools outside India. The CBSE has announced April 25 for the re-examination of Economics paper for class XII.

CBSE officials told newsmen that class Xth Mathematics re-examination will be held only in Delhi, NCR and Haryana in July. The exact date has not yet been finalized. The officials said that there were no pan-India leakage nor there was any evidence of paper leakage outside India.

The news was welcomed by International Indian Schools administration and management as well as students and parents, who heaved a sigh of relief over the decision. “It was a quick and right decision and it saved future of hundreds of Indian students,” said Ali Ahmad a father whose son has appeared in class X examination.

A beaming Syed Hameed, principal of IIS Jubail, said it was a right decision that was based on our suggestion.

Dr. Mohd. Shaffe, principal of IISD, Dr. Shaukat Pervez, principal of IISR, Syed Masood Ahmad, principal of IIS Jeddah, and Hameed had separately written letters to the board apprising it about the fate of hundreds of students in the Kingdom. They had intimated the difficulties of the students, who had already left for India or were in the process of leaving, some on final exit, for home without any dates for re-examinations set.

This year nearly 4,500 students for class XII and 7,500 students of class X took the examination. Hameed was constantly in touch with the board officials in New Delhi, and he also confirmed that one official had earlier suggested the possibility of exempting NRI students.

Hundreds of Indian students in the Kingdom, who appeared in Class X and Class XII examinations held by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), were caught in the worst nightmare of their lives when news broke of paper leakage and the board’s announcement of ordering a re-sit of the economics paper for class XII and mathematics paper for class X in the coming days.

Scores of students of Class XII had already left the Kingdom to pursue further studies in India. While many Class X students had intended to leave the Kingdom on final exit due to financial constraints faced by their parents as result of dependence fee.

Traditionally students of class XII leave the Kingdom immediately after their examination to pursue further studies, as competition in India is tough for professional courses.

The economics paper was written on March 26 and its cancelation report came on March 28. By then quite a large number of students had already left the Kingdom. Many had their flights booked for coming next few days and would incur huge loss for ticket cancelation.

“Due to end of examinations, it would be a peak season for airlines and as a result tickets price will also go up,” said Mohd. Minhaj, a class XII student of Social Science stream at IISD. Fortunately there are fewer students of economics compared to maths of class X.

Mathematics being a compulsory subject for the class, the re-examination move would have effectively put all 7,500 students Kingdomwide in a spot, but now with this latest decision the students have earned a reprieve.

The dependence fee has forced many expats, especially Indians, to send their families on exit visas. Some of the Indians were waiting for the completion of examinations to send their families back home for good.

Waqar Ahmad, an engineer in a construction company who has three children with the eldest daughter in Xth, was going to send his wife and three kids to Mumbai on final exit this coming Wednesday.