DIMAPUR, APRIL 7 (MExN): The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) has informed of an education scam, involving examination centers of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in Dimapur.
At a press briefing at DNSU office Monday afternoon, DNSU team led by president, Mhachio Odyuo, alleged that two NIOS exam centres in Dimapur were indulging in “unfair practices” and exploiting students. The centers were reportedly charging fees from students to let them pass. A further startling disclosure was that a student can pass the NIOS exam even without appearing the exam, provided he or she pays a hefty sum to those in charge of exam centers.
DNSU produced before the media one of the accused in the scam, Naresh Singh, the principal of a school in Sematilla, who is also the centre superintendent of NIOS exam centre at Rajbari.
According to Singh, he was running NIOS in Dimapur since 1999 and was the coordinator till 2008. He said NIOS exams are held twice a year (March-April and Oct-Nov). Naresh said during exams, the NIOS centers help students with the answers and charge Rs.300 per subject from every student. He also disclosed that even if a student does not sit for the exam, the centers employ proxy candidates to write for him or her, provided the student pays anywhere between Rs. 4000-5000.
Sing informed that 15 students at the exam center in Rajbari had paid Rs. 300 per subject to pass the exam. He however claimed that the students who did not appear the exam had so far not paid any money to the centre.
Singh further claimed that all the eight NIOS centers in Dimapur were indulging in the malpractice. According to him, he was appointed by NIOS main office at Noida, through the Guwahati branch office.
Meanwhile, the NGO Child Line has released a statement regarding the “sheer mockery” of NIOS exams being conducted at a school near ADC Court. According to Child Line, based on statements of parents and guardians of NIOS students, on March 28 the students had to wait from 2:30-7.30pm to appear for the exam.
“Around 7.30pm, answer scripts (no question papers) were brought for the students and were directed to copy the answers and submit the same. Students and some other people who didn’t appear to be students were busy copying from the readymade circulated answer scripts. The so-called exam went on till 10:40pm,” Child Line stated.
On March 29, exam started around 3.30pm and was over by 6.00pm, wherein, stated Child Line, the same routine was repeated. It was learnt that in all other NIOS exam centers in the country, exam timing is from 2:30-5:30pm. Child Line has appealed for the DEO Dimapur to look into the issue.
While the DNSU asserted that it will not allow education to be compromised in any manner, it stated, “such malpractices and exploitation of students have to be stopped.”
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