Nagpur University (NU) is set to form an inquiry committee to investigate the blunder that resulted in incorrect question papers for a BCom fourth semester examination being delivered to centers on June 4. A top official stated, "The committee will investigate the cause and present its findings before the board of examinations."
Grave Error Leads to Mid-Exam Cancellation
Academicians described the blunder as 'grave', noting that this is perhaps the first incident of a NU exam being called off midway. Over 950 BCom fourth semester students were baffled after receiving a wrong question paper during their Fundamentals of Insurance exam. The paper contained questions from Fundamentals of Banking, a third semester subject, leading to an uproar across examination centers. NU was forced to cancel the exam midway and later announced a re-exam of the same paper on June 10.
Moderation Committee Under Scrutiny
NU officials indicated that the subject examination committee, also known as the moderation committee, is under scanner. "Prima facie, it appears the paper skipped the check mechanism of the moderation committee," they said. The moderation committee is headed by the chairman of the Board of Studies (BoS) and comprises two more BoS members, apart from co-opted members.
Possible Causes of the Blunder
Initially, NU officials placed blame on paper setters. "The questions are submitted manually by the setter in an envelope. The moderation committee must ensure no errors exist in the question paper and that everything aligns with the syllabus and subject scheme. Once approved, the sets are submitted for printing. Such errors do not occur at the printing stage," officials explained. They also suspect that surplus question paper sets from previous exams might have been mixed with the current lot. "Paper setters submit 3-5 sets, but only one is selected by the authority. Probably the remaining sets from winter exams were used in this summer exam, causing questions from the third semester subject to appear in the fourth semester exam," officials added.
