Three bundles of answer sheets of Class 10 Science subject exam conducted recently by the Gujarat education board were found by the roadside near Virpur town in Rajkot district of the state on Wednesday, an official said. Class 10 examination of the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) is currently on in the state.
The exam for the Science subject was held on March 7 and the answer sheets found by the roadside were yet to be evaluated, the official said.
After the incident came to light on Wednesday morning, the state education minister ordered an investigation into it.
"The soiled and damaged answer sheets were found lying scattered by the roadside near Virpur in Gondal taluka on Wednesday morning. They have not been evaluated so far," the official said.
The GSHSEB suspects that it could be due to the negligence on the part of the officials responsible for carrying the answer sheets to the centralised evaluation centre.
The board officials said that action will be taken against those responsible after a thorough investigation.
Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama assured action against those responsible for the incident.
"I have directed the officials to carry out an urgent and thorough investigation to find out whether any more answer sheets are still missing. Whether this happened in a natural course or was done deliberately will be found out during the probe. Strong action will be taken against those found responsible for this," he said.
Chairman of the board, A J Shah, said, "The bundles of answer sheets have been sent to a nearby school in Virpur. Those who were carrying them did not do their job responsibly and action will be taken against them."
The opposition Congress attacked the GSHSEB for its "irresponsible functioning", saying that it is playing with the future of the students.
"Education department is the epicentre of corruption. Answer sheets, which are yet to be evaluated, are found lying on the road. What will happen to the future of the students who worked hard to appear for the exam?" Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi asked.
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