Irresponsible Invigilator Hampers the Prospects of Students to Qualify GATE Exam in Kerala

18 February, 2012

The students opting for GATE Biotechnology examination in the noon session at Mar Ivanios College room number 20 on the second floor complained that the invigilator present in the room asked the students to tear the answer script below the bar code so that she could put the signature without disturbing the students.

THIS SHOULD not have happened in a national level competitive test but the incident took place in the most literate state in Kerala. In the recently concluded GATE examination on 12th February 2012 in the one of most reputed colleges in Kerala, the invigilator asked the candidates to tear the ORS sheet below the bar code, even though it was clearly mentioned that bar code should not be tampered. This occurred at the prestigious Mar Ivanios College Trivandrum.

The students opting for GATE Biotechnology examination in the for noon session at Mar Ivanios College room number 20 on the second floor complained that the invigilator present in the room asked the students to tear the answer script below the bar code so that she can put the signature without disturbing the students.

When some students told the invigilator that it should not be separated, she shouted at them. After some time the chief persons associated with examination noticed this error, they asked students to write an application addressed to Gate Office, IIT Delhi stating that they have unknowingly separated the answer script and requested them to consider for valuation. There was no lapse of the invigilator mentioned in the application. This was countersigned by the authorities including the principal of the college. This is a clear case of showing injustice to the students. Many of the prospective students who are planning for higher studies in national institutes fear that if their paper is not valued their life is spoiled.

Some students complained that the invigilators present in the hall were not teachers of the college. There were non-teaching staff and relatives of staff deputed as invigilators for the sake of getting remuneration. Because of this the invigilators have no accountability or they don’t have any sense of seriousness regarding this examination. The IIT authorities should seriously look into this matter and should conduct a proper enquiry.