Dubai: When 15-year-old Farva Nadeem returned from her mathematics board examination, she was relieved. This was, what she believed, the last ever maths exam she would have to write in her life.
But on Wednesday, thousands of students and parents were in for a shock when India’s Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) announced that it would hold re-examination for Grade 10 mathematics and Grade 12 economics, following reports that question papers were leaked ahead of the exams.
“Me being someone who absolutely despises mathematics, I was extremely happy by the fact that it would be my very last maths examination. But when I came back from the three-hour paper I found out that I would have to write the exam for the same subject again because of a few people who used unfair means,” the grade 10 student told Gulf News.
She is one of the over 11,000 Indian students in the UAE from both grades, who will be impacted by this decision.
Beena Reji, the mother of a grade 10 student, said: “My daughter had written the Grade 10 board exam and she was so happy that all her papers went well and this was the last exam. But, she was very disappointed by the news that the mathematics paper got leaked.”
For Grade 12 students, economics was one of the better papers, according to many UAE residents Gulf News spoke with. So, writing the exam once again came as disappointing news.
17-year-old Niveditha Arjun and her friends could not hold back their tears when they found out.
“A lot of people would say that it is not such a big issue but we had anticipated this moment of freedom because all the stress we had gone through for the past one year would have finally come to an end,” she said.
Arjun also questioned the measures put in place by the CBSE to ensure such situations did not occur.
“Before one of our exams, they had asked us to take off our watches and we were not allowed to carry our sweaters with us. I feel they had diverted all their attention to such irrelevant areas rather than paying attention to areas that could have prevented such a situation,” she added.
Many families have also been affected because of the impact this would have on their plans right after the exams ended.
“We have to reschedule our plans. As parents, we spent the whole year helping our children. All our travel plans have to be cancelled. It is a loss of money and the tension has returned for the re-examination,” Megha Rajan Panhale, the mother of an Indian Grade 10 student, told Gulf News.
Grade 10 students were also upset about the fact that the mathematics paper had been one of the better ones they had taken.
Sarman Chandhoke, a Grade 10 student, said: “Our batch of Grade 10 of the year 2017-18 has been suffering from the beginning of the year due to sudden changes, such as compulsory board examinations and the full syllabus. We also have to do two pre-board examinations before our actual board exams. And now that we were done, we are told that we have to write our examination again. This clashes with our holidays and now we have no break and are continuously stressed for the re-examination,” Aryan Rajan Panhale said.
Hannah Reji, another Grade 10 student, agreed.
“Mathematics was a very good paper and extremely easy. Now it’s going to be really hard and we cannot accept it.”
Many students and parents also questioned why students in the GCC were being forced to write the exam when the leaks happened in India.
Muzamil Jahan, mother of an Indian Grade 10 student, said: “The paper was not leaked in the UAE. Our children already had to face the burden of the full syllabus. Now, it will be a great burden on them due to the re-examination. I urge CBSE to only punish the culprits, not everyone.”
Prashasti Saxena, a Grade 12 student, agreed.
“If we have not done something, we should not be held responsible for it. The leaks were not anywhere near where we live. I am attempting the CLAT [Common Law Admission Test] and I have to attend courses that have already begun. I cannot afford to lose more time and, like me, other students can’t afford to lose the time either.”
Raj Rizvi, the mother of a Grade 10 student, said: “Considering the amount of hard work and efforts they have put in, it is really very sad. There is anguish and anxiousness amongst all the parents.”
One student who spoke with Gulf News, however, decided to take a more positive approach. Grade 12 student Vanshraaj Bhatia, said: “My reaction was initially of disbelief. As a student I see it as a burden but at the same time it is a chance for us to improve our scores and that is how I plan on looking at it. I am going to wait for the date to be announced and prepare as well as I can.”
