Texting route to cheat in Plus-2 exam

VRIDDHACHALAM: As the exam fever has caught up, students are using unique ways to cheat. It came as a rude shock for a top official of the education department when he checked a mobile phone kept on the supervisor’s table during Class XII examination here. The phone was receiving by SMS answers of all objective- type questions.D Ramachandran, Regional Deputy Director of Examinations, who found the phone with answers at Vriddhachalam Boys Higher Secondary School,  during an inspection, said the mobile phone was seized and was sent to the directorate of government examinations, Chennai.“The hall supervisor asked the students to keep their mobile phones on his table before the exam began. A phone received answers via SMS. Departmental inquiry will be held. If either the student or the supervisor is found guilty, stringent action would be taken,” Ramachandran said. The official said the phone was kept in silent mode and he felt curious when he noticed light blinking on the screen. When he checked the inbox, he found answers of one mark questions for the day’s exam.When he asked for the owner of the phone, a Plus 2 student who was sitting on last bench stood up. The officer questioned the boy about the SMS but he feigned ignorance. The hall supervisor was also quizzed. After getting an explanation letter, he was allowed to complete the exam. “This SMS should have been sent either by some other class XII student who was writing the exam or by an invigilator. The question paper could not be available for outsiders at that moment,” a teacher, who wished not to be named, said.