A delay in fixing the seating arrangement and a subsequent delayed commencement of a Hindi paper of the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) at an exam centre in Motihari Wednesday led hundreds of Class XII students to write their exam in the low light of bulbs.
Several other students, seated in the balcony of the college marked as the examination centre, had to manage in the light from the headlights of four-wheelers parked inside the campus.
The incident took place at Maharaj Harendra Kishore College and over 500 students were faced with inconvenience. The district administration removed the centre’s superintendent and ordered a probe into the lapse.
The BSEB has been holding the Class XII board examinations after Covid cases started dipping in the state.
The examination, which was scheduled to begin at 1:45 pm and end at 5 pm, began at 4:30 pm, said the Motihari police. Chhatauni police station with help from the local administration had to immediately arrange generators to provide light to the examinees.
A guardian of a student said, “While the students sitting inside the classrooms somehow managed to write their papers in the poor lights of bulbs, others sitting in the balcony struggled due to lack of proper light. When they complained to the authorities, they switched on the headlights of a couple of four-wheelers parked inside the campus.”
Motihari sub-divisional officer Suman Saurabh Yadav said, “As it was the prime responsibility of the centre’s superintendent to make seating arrangements, he has been replaced.”
East Champaran District Magistrate S K Ashok said, “It is true that the examination for the second shift’s paper was delayed and students had to face inconvenience. We have asked the district superintendent of education to look into the matter.”