No CBSE re-exam for Class 10 Maths, says Govt

The question paper was leaked for Class 10 but never did it cause such a furore as is this time. The government has finally announced on Tuesday that the re-exam will not be conducted for Class 10 maths paper despite an alleged leak of the question paper.

However, for Class 12 Economics paper, the re-test will be held on April 25, 2018 as announced earlier.

"Consequent to the preliminary evaluation of the impact of reportedly leaked CBSE Class 10 maths paper and keeping in mind the paramount interest of students, the CBSE has decided not to conduct re-examination even in Delhi, NCR and Haryana. Hence, no re-exam for Class 10," Human Resource Development Ministry Secretary Anil Swarup tweeted.

The government had earlier said that it might re-conduct the maths exam sometime in July for Delhi, NCR and Haryana but pending the outcome of the preliminary report. Though the report was positive about the leak, the impact was not felt beyond the NCR and hence, the HR ministry has stepped in to drop the idea on behalf of the CBSE.

Ironic but for the first time, the HRD ministry has directly taken the issue into its hands and decided, reminding the CBSE of its curtailed powers to hold or cancel exams at national level. CBSE is the pivotal organisation to hold the country-wide JEE Mains which decides the basic standards for those seeking admission into medical and engineering colleges. Currently, it is busy with JEE Mains 2018 exam as it cannot afford another leak at the national level.

The decision has more to do with the protests by parents who had planned summer vacation abroad in Delhi and the elite-centric Delhi persuaded the ministry to dilute its stance on re-holding the test for leaked mathematics paper. Since this serves as precedent, there is no guarantee that CBSE question paper will not be leaked in the future. It happened for Class 12 in 2014 and again in 2018.

Further, there is no guarantee that even for a legibly leaked question paper, there will be a re-test as it can be waived off in the public interest. Now that the whistle-blower is also held for questioning, it remains to be seen what would be the final outcome.