Students also cheat in accountancy; teachers say lack of concept clarity in number-based subjects force students to cheat
It seems the terror of numbers is what prompts students to adopt unfair means in examinations.
As per the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB), in past three years, maximum number of copy cases are reported in subjects like math, physics and accountancy.
Board officials said that in SSC examination, Math accounted for 30 per cent of the total unfair means cases while in HSC (Science), Physics accounted for 37 per cent of copy cases. In the general stream, while accountancy accounted for 21 per cent of cheating cases, English had a slight edge with 25 per cent copy cases. “Overall, it seems students find subjects associated with numbers tough and feel they need to cheat in these subjects to clear the examination,“ official said.
Tanvi Kothari, a physics teacher at Hiramani School said, “The figures are not at all shocking. Physics is a subject where the questions are application based and requires sound knowledge of the concept. It is not surprising that so many students resort to cheating.“
Other teachers concur and stress on the need for a strong base in the subjects. Navneet Khakkhar who teaches Accountancy said, “Only students who do not have a strong grasp of the concepts will resort to copying. Majority of cases are reported from rural areas where students do not attend school regularly. Eventually, during examinations they end up trying to peep into other students’ answer paper in a bid to get at least passing marks.“
Rajesh Parmar, a math and science teacher who also checks board papers claims it is below average students who resort to cheating. “I have often noticed that eight to 10 consecutive roll numbers have the same answer. Below average students prefer to copy in exams because marks are awarded for steps, which they can copy easily,“ said the teacher from HBK School in Memnagar.
On the other hand, Sanjay Joshi of Diwan Ballubhai School who teaches English blames the marks-oriented exam system for students cheating in a subject like English. He said, “It is hard to digest that students cheat in English. With the inclusion of MCQs, there is hardly any need to copy. But when the system is so marks-oriented, students end up cheating to get more marks.“
Board Secretary RI Patel claims that students’ tendency to copy depends on the difficulty level of the paper. “If a student finds a particular subject difficult, he she will try to cheat in an attempt to score more marks. Physics is tough and students have a mental anxiety because they are in Science stream and fear not clearing it,“ Patel said.
Meanwhile, in-charge exam secretary BS Kaila said, “It is easier to copy in subjects like math and accountancy because there are steps and formulas involved instead of prose.“
State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said, “The installation of CCTV cameras and frequent flying squad visits have reduced the number of cheating cases. But it is natural that students will copy in subjects that they find tough.“
Source – Ahmedabad Mirror – 15th November 2016
