Bihar examinees write to Sir, with love

PATNA, April 28: Teachers in Bihar evaluating answer-sheets of the Matriculation examination have been facing problems of a different kind these days.

They have been flooded with emotional letters from young girls who have urged them to be liberal in their assessment and so that they are eligible for marriage. “Sir, my marriage proposal has come from a good family but my in-laws want me to at least matriculate. If I don’t clear the examination, my marriage proposal could be rejected and this will be a great setback to me. My future is in your hands. Please have mercy and give me good marks so that I could be able to find an able soul-mate. Everything is in your hands,” is one typical epistle found scribbled in an answer sheet.

According to Mr Satish Kumar, an examiner who found this particular example while checking answer scripts at a local commerce college, several of his colleagues have also come across similar emotional letters scribbled inside the pages of the answer sheets or stapled with them.

These appeals to their tender sensibilities, it also appears, has led to many examiners shedding their hardened approach and be liberal in granting marks. In several cases, their spouses and children have also prevailed upon the examiners, demanding that they should not play with the careers of these girls, virtually compelling them to allot more marks than they really deserve.

“My family has been regularly pressuring me to grant enough marks saying my effort will unite many souls which will be a pious work,” another examiner, who says he has come across at least a dozen such requests, said.

Examinees have also resorted to more blatant means to get on the good side of the examiners and hopefully secure more marks. In several answers-sheets, the examiners have stumbled upon Indian currency notes in the denomination of Rs 50 and Rs 500 stapled inside the pages along with requests by the examinees to treat their cases well.

Such open attempts at bribery have however left many examiners fuming. A total of 7,69,000 students took the Matriculation examination conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board across 1,094 centres this year. The authorities had arranged for videography and deployed special anti-copying squads at all the centres which checked the use of unfair means by the students.